Healing Endeavours
by flying-cars
Summary: Hermione is training to be a Healer for St Mungo's, and Fred... well, Fred is her number one patient.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Story is AU. Time is warped too - Slughorn teaching in OWL's year, Aragog dead, Dumbledore and Cedric Diggory (maybe) alive, Umbridge probably won't make an appearance. The words 'doctor', 'doc' and 'healer' are used interchangeably too.**

**This story was written very quickly and Hermione is a bit OOC... but I think it's for the better. She is less resistant and argumentative in my story. I also try to write the twins as separate people. (Also, this is not a threesome story - although I am unsure where this is headed, I know that for sure)**

**Chapter One: The Meeting**

McGonagall entered the Charms classroom with a grave look on her face Hermione knew was destined for her. Hermione wished it wasn't so, though. It was only the first class of the day, but sure enough…  
"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick. I wonder if I may borrow Miss Granger for a moment?"  
Professor Flitwick squeaked back an "of course, Professor!" and Hermione gathered her belongings. She knew she would not return.

This had happened many an occasion before. Once in Care of Magical Creatures, again in Ancient Runes. Each time she was pulled out of class, she never returned and wasn't seen until the next class. If things were bad, she didn't appear until the next day.

Professor McGonagall walked briskly down the corridor with Hermione on her trail. The hospital wing was near and Hermione wondered what she would be met with this time. For you see, Hermione was in training to be a Healer for St Mungo's. A profession Hermione thought was quite respectable, that came with an encyclopaedia of knowledge, and fulfilled her desire to help people. Harry and Ron didn't know anything about her healing; she fed them lies about S.P.E.W and other ministry work. No clear, concise answers were given from her.

The hospital wing doors were open when they arrived. Curtains were drawn around a lonesome bed at the back corner. Hermione could smell the most awful of odours coming from there, with a mix of potions. Those she could recognise. She also knew that one would be purple, one blue, and another with no exact colour at all.

Madam Pomfrey came out from behind the curtain with a tray of empty potion jars. Hermione was almost nervous to look behind them to see the poor victim. But no matter; Professor McGonagall pulled them aside before Hermione had a chance to steady herself.

The man on the bed was Fred Weasley… or was it George? No, it was definitely Fred. Hermione didn't know how she knew; she just did. She could tell in her heart. Madam Pomfrey was going through his symptoms.

"Scarring on his chest, face, forearms and internal bruising which is unusual. Bone tissue damaged. Increased hair growth. Most magical combinations could not achieve this extent of damage; however he has been unconscious for the last three hours so I am uninformed as to what he was actually doing…" She trailed off. Hermione knew she was all too familiar with the Weasley boys and their pranks.

"So, this is your patient now Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said. This made Hermione very excited – she had only ever worked in partnership with Madam Pomfrey. "Merlin knows he'll be a challenge for you."

A clipboard was handed to Hermione and that was the beginning of her hectic journey with Fred Weasley.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Unconscious To Conscious**

I held the clipboard firmly as I filled out various areas of the patient information. _Name: Fred Weasley. Age: Seventeen. Gender: Male. House: Gryffindor._

I reached the largest section of the information sheet. _Symptoms. _And the truth was, I didn't truly know. After a moment of deliberation, I decided to leave lots of room in case of the discovery of new symptoms so I wrote small. _Unconscious upon arrival, bone tissue damage, scarring on face, chest and forearms, internal bruising, increased hair growth. _

As this was all I knew, I left the section almost empty, along with the diagnosis section. After signing my signature at the bottom and writing the date, I left the board at the end of the bed. I pulled on a fresh apron to protect my school robes and started waving my wand over Fred's body.

When bright yellow colours appeared it was obvious that Fred was no longer unconscious and was now sleeping peacefully. I took a moment to study his face; the scarring was over his eyebrows, cheeks and chin in parallel diagonal lines. It was like he was scratched by a very wide-clawed creature. His chest was also bare, which at first made me a tad uncomfortable but then I reminded myself that I was training to be a Healer, for Merlin's sake! I couldn't keep feeling like this.

Bravely, I reached out to touch the scars to get a feel of the texture. But it was strange; it was like they were painted on, as there was no true texture to it… this threw me off. It looked very real.

I went back to my clipboard and scribbled a few more notes, particularly on the scars. My wand gave a twitch and the yellow light faded, but I kept writing. I clung to the board when I returned to Fred's side.

"Game's up, Fred," I said with a smile. "I know you're awake."  
One of his eyes opened to look at me suspiciously before he sighed and stretched. "I suppose I couldn't keep that up forever," he joked. "What gave me away? Did I blink?"  
"I'm a Healer, Fred. I can tell just by looking at you," I bragged. I was not willing to admit that it was my wand that gave him away and I couldn't tell any different. He was an excellent fake sleeper. "You're not a Healer," Fred said confidently.  
"Training to be one," I retorted, a blush rising to my cheeks. I flipped the page on the clipboard to a blank piece of parchment. My never-ending ink quill twisted between my fingers as I thought.

_Usual snark. _

"What's your name?" I asked, deciding that it was best to go through the routine questions with Fred, seeing as his confidence was throwing me off. Maybe it was a side effect?

"Forge."  
"What day is it?"  
"Tuesday."  
"What were you doing prior to the incident?" My curiosity got the best of me – that was not a routine question. I wondered if he'd notice.  
"None of your business." _Damn.  
_"Fred, I'm sorry but unless you tell me precisely what you were doing, trying to do, or at least what ingredients or spells you were working with, I can't help you with the damage you've caused to yourself," I said gently.  
"What damage?" Fred asked quickly. His worry increased when I didn't answer and his hand went beneath the blankets of the bed. A second later, a sigh of relief. "It can't be that bad."

I summoned a mirror for him. "You have some strange scarring on your face, arms and chest… I can't quite describe it." I handed him the mirror and he observed it closely. Fred went to touch the scar on his cheek.  
"So Healer Granger," he said seriously. "Do these scars make me look manly?"  
I gaped at him in shock. "You're kidding, right?"  
This led to a frown. "They aren't flattering at all?"

I just shook my head at him.

"Fred, do you want my help or not?" I said crossly. Fred grinned at me.  
"That depends on the extent of the damage."  
"Deadly," I said sternly. Fred laughed.  
"I highly doubt _that!_ But sure, it would be nice to see a fresh young face."

And so I set to work, desperate to unravel the mystery Fred refused to share.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Detective Work**

"Are you in pain?" I questioned. Fred was sitting up in bed looking bored and shaking his head. "Were you inventing a spell?" Another shake. "A new potion?" Negative.  
"Are you going to question me all day?" Fred asked. I frowned at him.  
"Fred, if I have to, I will, but I have classes and homework to do as well. So the more cooperative you are, the sooner this is over." I had been here for two hours already. Fred looked the slightest bit guilty and slumped.

"George and I were…"  
"George?" I interrupted. I reached for my notes. "Has he experienced any symptoms?"  
"If he had, I imagine he would be here too," Fred noted dryly. I blushed but didn't forget how strange it was that they were working together, but George didn't suffer the consequences.

"Anyway, George and I were… attempting… something extraordinary."

I waited for an elaboration but that seemed to be all I was going to get. "And was this extraordinary secret illegal?"  
"Probably."  
"Fred, you are being deliberately unhelpful."  
He flashed me a wicked grin. "I know. Look, Hermione, we're working on something secret. It has to stay secret. So please, work with me on this. Fix me with no questions."  
My anger flared. "But you won't give me any details! What is this, a joke to you?" That earned a shrug. I took deep, calming breaths. "Fine. I can play detective with you if that's what you desire."  
"I desire a lot of things, but let's not go into that. What do you need to know?"

After tapping my quill on my parchment, I talked out my train of thought. "Well a spell itself couldn't have done this, even if you were trying to invent one – and I'm going on your word here that you weren't – so that leaves a potion. But you said you weren't inventing a potion, so you were either trying to recreate one that is most likely illegal and dangerous, or editing and adjusting an already existing potion. So tell me, am I hitting the nail on the head with any of this?"

Fred laughed. "Your deduction skills are impressive. I'll tell you this: there were both potions and spells involved, none of which were illegal."  
"Brilliant! What ingredients were you using and how much?" I got my quill ready.  
"I can't tell you how much. But the ingredients were, and I hope you've got your quill ready because the list is quite extensive, wolfsbane, newt, lacewing flies, bat wings, rose water, dragon blood, pigmy puff fur, unicorn hair, cinnamon…"

And the list went on and on.

"Fred, honestly, how could you not expect something like this to go wrong? I can name several clashes with these ingredients and I don't even know what you're trying to create!"  
"Ah, yes you can Hermione, but you don't know the quantities so how can you be sure?" A glint was in Fred's eye when he said that.  
"I'm sure I can guess," I challenged. This made him laugh.  
"Knock yourself out."

As I turned away from him to gather special brews for some of the ingredients he mentioned, I muttered to myself, "You already did."  
"I heard that and that was a really bad joke!"

Not really caring, I came back with five potions on a tray. They smelled awful, of course – most potions do – but these were particularly bad.  
"Right, now this one is for your bone tissue," I said and I handed him a light green potion. He swallowed it with no hesitation. "This one is for the internal bruising… in case of concussion… stop the hair growth…"  
"I think I like my hair long," Fred commented. I simply shrugged, because I liked it long too.  
"Well this will stop it from reaching your feet," I said. "This one is for you scarring, but I don't know what good it will do… It's meant to get rid of it, but seeing as it's not a typical scar it might not work. No matter; we'll try something else if it doesn't work. Drink up."

Fred eyed the potion suspiciously before gulping it down… but the moment the potion touched his lips, the scarring disappeared.

"Hermione, what was in that potion?" he asked very quietly. I took the bottle back and placed it on the tray with the others.  
"It's called _Scarrs, Begone! _Look it up yourself, if you like." I returned the bottles to the back room and placed them in the sink.

When I returned to the main area of the hospital, Fred was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Lunch, With A Side Of Questions**

After an exhausting morning with Fred and feeling disappointed in myself for having to fill in the _Diagnosis _section with 'experimentation in potions', and a lecture from Madam Pomfrey from having a patient sneak out whilst under my care, I slumped at the Gryffindor table. Lunch just wasn't as appealing as I hoped it would be, and then Ron and Harry sat opposite me.  
"Where'd you get off to this morning?" Harry asked curiously. "Charms had only just started."  
"Yeah, and it's not like you to miss a class!" Ron agreed, feeding himself exuberantly. I shrugged.  
"Professor McGonagall wanted to go through my last essay, no big deal," I answered. It was a lame answer but I just didn't have the energy to think of anything more credible.

I slowly chewed on an apple as I eavesdropped on everyone else's conversations. Ginny was talking to Dean and Seamus, Lavender Brown to Romilda Vane. George Weasley, literally only one person away from me, was talking to Angelina Johnson and Fred was nowhere to be found. That was curious – the twins were never apart.

Thankfully, Katie Bell asked the unspoken question for me.

"Hey George, where's Fred? He wasn't in Defence this morning."  
George grinned. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, Katie."

But that did not satisfy my curiosity at all. However, I had no time to dwell on it – Harry just passed me my homework from Charms and the person sitting beside me just left. I had no idea who it was, but it left the place conveniently open for Fred, who had just arrived looking healthy as ever. He bee-lined straight for the seat next to me – or as everyone else would see it, next to George.

I had long since finished my apple and was just holding onto the core when he sat. I placed it on my plate and it immediately disappeared. I reached for a pumpkin pasty.

"Hermione," Fred said quietly, "I need to know some things."  
"I find the library is a good place to go," I replied kindly. I munched on it while he shook his head, grinning.  
"This knowledge comes specifically from you," he urged. I sighed.  
"What do you want?"  
"I need to know what was in that potion. _Scarrs, Begone!"_  
"Why?"  
"Please, Hermione?" Fred gave me a puppy dog face. I raised my eyebrows at him.  
"I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what's in the potion if you tell me what you're trying to achieve."  
Fred looked disappointed. "Anything else but that. This is so important, Hermione, and so secret."  
I looked at him sadly. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Fred."

I got up and left the Great Hall, once again leaving my Charms homework behind.

But you see, I did that deliberately. Because I knew that Fred would not tell me what he was up to within earshot of his brothers, and I could not tell him what was in that potion without knowing what he wanted it for. Fred needed me, and I knew he would follow with my homework as an excuse.

And if not, well… I was obviously a mastermind of wishful thinking.

Fred did follow me, though. He handed me my stuff and seemed to grow a few inches.  
"Hermione, I will give you anything you want except what you've asked. It is crucial I know the ingredients of that potion. Absolutely, almost anything you ask, I will do, I will give, I will share. Please." Desperation shone through his brown eyes and I looked away, thoroughly disappointed in myself.  
"I lied, Fred. I'm afraid I can't tell you what's in the potion because I don't know what's in it." The honesty in my voice was so strong; Fred just looked disappointed and not shocked that I lied to him. "But…"

Fred looked at me again with hope.

"But, in return for an open-ended favour…" He was already nodding in agreement. "I can find out for you."

Suddenly I was lifted off my feet and my airway blocked because Fred had lifted me off the ground and was squeezing me so hard.

"Hermione, you're a bloody life saver, honestly! Anything you want, I'll do for you, anytime, just ask! Merlin, I can't believe it, I owe you so much!" He put me down and I swayed a bit. His big hands went to my shoulders to steady me as George appeared in the hall, with the girls from the Quidditch team.

Fred turned around and almost ran up to George in joy. Pulling him away from the girls, I could hear him saying "Honestly, George, she's the answer to all our problems…" and I was left in the hall with three older girls staring at me.

"Looking a bit flushed there, Hermione!" Katie Bell sniggered.  
"Yeah, what on earth just happened?" Alicia Spinnet asked curiously.

"I have no idea," I replied, very much in a daze.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Subtle Investigations**

"Where did this come from?" I asked Madam Pomfrey one evening. We were cleaning up the hospital wing – as a Healer in training, I was required to perform my bit of manual labour. I was currently cleaning out the potions cupboard and my hands had stumbled upon the _Scarrs, Begone! _  
"I haven't seen anything quite like it before."  
"Whatever do you mean, Miss Granger?"  
"I've just never seen anything perform to the perfection it did when I used it on Fred," I explained. "It was almost instantaneous, who invented it? I'd love to do some research on it."  
"I invented it myself, dear. Now, put these in the cupboard and you can go."

I sensed that Madam Pomfrey was very protective of her work. Unsurprising, the way she hovered around the students in her care. No matter – I could always ask her another time.

Or now.

"But what's in it? It's unbelievable!"  
"A bit of this, a bit of that, a touch of something rare and a handful of something small," she replied absentmindedly. "Now off you go, dear."

Dejectedly, I left the hospital and returned to Gryffindor tower. What use was I if I can't do research?

Fred and George intercepted me on the stairs. "Does anyone actually know where you go at night?" George asked conversationally. "Surely someone would notice your absence all the time?"  
"You'd think so, but no," I replied. I used to be surprised by this, but I soon realised that Harry and Ron were simple folk who didn't care much for mysteries unless it was in the form of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It was awfully convenient for me, however, so I didn't complain about their lack of interest in my 'trips to the library'.

"Did you find out anything?" Fred asked. I leant against the barrister.  
"No."  
Fred and George looked at each other for a long time – I had always thought that they had mastered telepathy at a very young age.  
"Hermione, do you understand how important this is?" George asked seriously. I crossed my arms angrily; how do they expect me to know and understand everything if they never tell me anything?  
"I might understand if you actually told me what I needed to know," I snapped. I continued walking up the stairs, right through the middle of the twins. They grabbed my upper arms to stop me from going anywhere.

"We need to know what is in that potion because there is a vital ingredient – or two, or three, or four – that we need for something we are creating ourselves" George said carefully. "It is a vital component in the creation. Without it, everything falls apart and we end up in the hospital wing."

I felt very guilty although I was unsure why. The twins were asking for my help, so help I would give, regardless of how much information I received in return. Fred would owe me a favour and who knows when that would come in handy, but to have access to it I needed to help them first.

"I know two things only, and I don't know how useful they would be to you," I began nervously. "I don't want you two to get your hopes up." From the looks of their expressions, it seems they already did. "The potion you're after is not common. It can't be researched in the library because Madam Pomfrey created it herself." The twins were nodding confidently at this. "She also said something about, _a bit of this, a bit of that, a touch of something rare and a handful of something small." _

Fred and George were silent while they processed this. "I think we can do the rest from here," George muttered. Fred agreed.  
"Hermione, you've performed fabulously," Fred said gallantly with a deep bow.  
"Indeed, fair lady. You've earned your favour from us twins," George said just as grandly, also bowing.

I couldn't help but giggle as they disappeared down the hall.

I suppose I should have known that this wouldn't be the end of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: You Idiots!**

Cleaning out the bed linen cupboard was an awfully boring task, I had to admit. Dust bunnies were very real, in case anybody ever doubted that, and they are bloody hard to get rid of. They're vicious creatures. Manual labour and magic were required. So, as I was refolding a plain white sheet after fighting a tiny bunny no bigger than my thumb and made completely from dust, I was most relieved to hear a loud commotion in the hospital. I slightly opened the door and peeked through, wondering if it was safe for me to go out.

"_Just who do you think you are, you peevish rodents! Going through a lady's belongings! I never thought you would go so low! Your mother would be so disappointed; oh you wait until I write to her! And I won't treat you for a raw backside, no sir, not for anybody!"_

And Madam Pomfrey threw Fred and George Weasley out of the hospital wing by their ears and slammed the door in their faces. Her face was burning red, with anger or embarrassment I couldn't tell. Perhaps it was both.

"Is everything alright, Ma'am?" I asked cautiously, entering the room entirely. Never had I heard her yell like that before.  
"I think, Miss Granger, you should return to your common room," she said quietly.

Since curiosity about the twins and their endeavours got the best of me, I didn't argue with her and left quickly. I caught up with them only two corridors away. They were laughing raucously but it stopped frequently.

"What were you guys doing in Madam Pomfrey's private quarters?" I demanded. They turned around, trying to stifle their laughter.  
"Well, you see, we thought –" began Fred.  
"That if she invented a potion," George continued.  
"Where else would she keep her notes,"  
"But her own room?"

"How about her office, you idiots?" I argued. "You two are lucky you only got yelled at, she could have killed you!" They started laughing again.  
"Loosen up, Hermione," Fred said. "Life is fun, getting yelled at is part of the ride."  
"Breaking into private quarters is also just a bonus," George added.  
"Well you should have been breaking into her office," I snapped. "I thought you were meant to be smart? Would _you_ keep your notes in your knicker drawer or would you place them with the rest of your research and references?"

Fred and George stared at her. "I don't know what part of that shocks me more," George started. "That you thought we were smart, or that you were correcting our thievery techniques."  
"Think what you like, boys," I growled. "But your techniques need work."

This made them burst into laughter again, which I had to smile at. When you surrounded yourself with positive people, you felt that way yourself… so when others are laughing, it's hard not to join in.

Together, we walked up to Gryffindor tower, chatting about the hospital fiasco. I had to ask them, though. "How did you even get caught? I thought you two were supposed to be good at this."  
"We are good at this," Fred said indignantly.  
"She just spotted our disillusionment charm." George seemed sad about this and I was willing to bet he cast the spell.  
"Why don't you use an Invisibility Cloak?" I asked stupidly.  
"Because they're expensive, and we don't have one," George said slowly, as if talking to a baby.  
"Not to mention they're extremely rare," Fred added. "Unless you have one, then by all means, feel free to share it around."

I bit my lip, wondering if Harry would notice if I took it for a couple of hours. The wheels in my head were turning quickly… I didn't even need to ask him, his room is so messy anyway he probably wouldn't notice it was gone…

"You have one, don't you?" George asked seriously. I shook my head.  
"Can you get one?" Fred wondered. I noted that we were getting very good at getting precise answers out of one another.  
I nodded confidently, although I felt anything but. "I can get one for you."

Fred and George cheered loudly.

"But it'll cost you," I added playfully. They quietened down and were suddenly very suspicious.  
"What do you want from us?" George demanded. They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of me, glaring down at me. Together they were quite intimidating and I felt very small.  
"Relax guys, seriously, you're scaring me," I backtracked on my playful mood immediately. The twins were truly frightening when they thought you were using them for your own gain, even if they sometimes did that to other people. "I don't want anything from you. The only thing you lose in this is your time. To get into Madam Pomfrey's office, I need to go in first – I'm exempt from her wards because I go in so frequently. That's also how she found you in her quarters, by the way, not because of a bad disillusion charm. Anyway, I go into her office countless times in an evening, so you'll just have to follow me in. After that, you can leave whenever you like because the wards only monitor who goes in, not who goes out."  
"Seems strange that she only wards one side," Fred noted.  
"Yeah, are you setting us up for something?" George asked, perhaps a bit more friendly than he was before.  
"No. To come out of somewhere you have to get in first, don't you?" I asked.

After a moment of deliberation, they nodded.

"Just be patient, and don't get caught this time, you idiots," I joked.

* * *

**A/N Let's pretends the twins never found out about Harry's invisibility cloak... like ever... and everything works fine!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Breaking In And Breaking Down**

I felt inordinately self-conscious when I left dinner early the next evening. I felt like every eye was on me, knowing that I was planning on stealing from my best friend. I felt like a criminal.  
"You look fidgety, Hermione," Harry asked. "Is everything okay? You're a bit pale, too."  
"Oh, I'm fine," I said quickly. "Lots of work to do, you know!" A high pitched laugh came out before I could stop it and Harry looked unsure.  
"Perhaps you ought to go to the hospital wing," he said carefully. I pounced on his suggestion.  
"An excellent idea!" I said, jumping up from my seat. I grabbed a sausage and almost ran from the Great Hall. This time, I knew the stares weren't because I was a criminal. They were because everyone thought I was a freak.

I didn't dwell on it though, because I didn't care. I had bigger problems. I needed to get my book bag from my dorm first so I could hide the cloak in that. That would take time, and any of the boys might return from dinner… even worse, some might not have even left for it yet. It was still quite early.

But there was no time to back out, for there I was clambering through the portrait hole and speeding up the stairs to my dorm. I found my bag, took out a few of my books to make room and raced out again, into Harry's dorm. I burst through the door, a bundle of nerves, praying to God or Merlin or whoever was listening that it would be empty.

It wasn't. Neville was in there.

I guess higher powers didn't appreciate my thieving techniques.

"Hey Hermione," Neville greeted. I took a deep breath.  
"Hi Neville. Don't you know dinner has started?" _Please leave. Please leave.  
_"Yeah I know, but I have to do this potions essay that's due tomorrow. Hey, can I borrow yours?" He looked at me hopefully.  
"I'm sorry Neville, but I don't have mine on me and I'm in a bit of a rush," I said. I entered the room and went for Harry's bed. My eyes were scanning the floor, looking for a glint or a corner or anything that slightly resembled the cloak. "Harry and Ron are doing theirs at the table though, I'm sure they could help you. Having a full stomach will help you concentrate too." _All positives going downstairs, please leave!  
_Neville nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right. You've always been smart like that. Anyway, see you later," he blushed and exited the room faster than I entered.

And just like that, I was digging through Harry's stuff for his cloak. After five minutes, I thought it was taking too long and simply whispered _"Accio cloak!" _and it came zooming into my hands – right from underneath his pillow.

I evacuated the dorm, then the common room, and finally the tower in the biggest rush of my life. Nearly falling down the stairs and breaking my neck, I reached the hospital wing as the clock struck eight.

Although I managed to avoid injury on the stairs, I ran straight into Fred Weasley once I'd entered the place of healing. Ironic, I thought.

He reached out and caught me before I could fall on the ground though. "Woah there," he grinned. "Calm down."  
"Here's the cloak," I whispered, throwing it at him. I put my bag in its designated area, looking for Madam Pomfrey. She was nowhere to be found.  
"It's a bit small, don't you think?"  
"Crouch. Where's George, anyway?"

After a wicked grin, Fred said "We thought you may as well have a reason to go into Pomfrey's office tonight constantly. That way, the door opening with no one coming out won't look so blatantly suspicious. So, I go in the door early and come out once I've found what I need. You'll be coming in and out all night because… drum roll, please… George has landed himself in the hospital yet again."

I thought I understood the plan. It was simple and straightforward. "Whatever. Get under that cloak and stand by that door. You'll have to be quiet, too, and don't let your ankles show. You're too tall for the cloak!"

After thinking for a moment, Fred cast a disillusionment spell on himself and put the cloak on over the top. He was invisible. I could only assume he was by the door I told him to be next to.

Regardless, it was not my problem anymore. I put on an apron and approached the bed George was on. To my absolute shock, he was bawling his eyes out.  
"George, what on earth is wrong?" I exclaimed. I picked up his patient information, but it was empty. I began to fill it out.

"Don't bother with that nonsense, my dear," Madam Pomfrey appeared juggling bottles of glitter-looking stuff that honestly frightened me. "In my office, there's a wooden stick. Go get it."

Nodding to myself, I entered her office very carefully and left the door wide open so Fred could get in. I went right to the back to the cupboards there – wood was kept in a specific area so it wasn't contaminated by liquids, should they spill.

There was only one wooden stick and it was bland. It reminded me of liquorice; it was so dark in colour and almost as bendy. I returned to Madam Pomfrey and the crying George.  
"What's wrong with him?" I asked. His bawling increased.  
"Everything is wrong with me!" He moaned. "My hair is too red and my eyes aren't blue, I'm too tall for anyone to want to date me! I'm not the attractive twin either! And I have no money, how can I buy clothes to look good?" George was reaching hysterics when Madam Pomfrey forced a bit of the stick, now covered in a blue glitter-like substance, down his throat. He fell asleep almost immediately.

"He'll choke, won't he?" I asked calmly. I didn't really think he would.  
"No. The wood has already dissolved in his mouth and is releasing male hormones. He should be fine soon."  
I giggled. "Why does he need male hormones?"  
"Do you really think that is the behaviour of a seventeen year old male?" Madam Pomfrey asked me with a slight grin.  
"I suppose not."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Gotcha!**

Later in the evening, I returned to the office to do basic work. I didn't know if Fred had found whatever he needed yet but he was practically out of time. He'd have to come back another day.  
"Fred?" I whispered as I shut the door. His head popped out of nowhere and seemed to be floating in the air. It was a strange sight.  
"Have you found anything useful?" I asked quietly. Fred grinned.  
"Everything I need. You're brilliant, Hermione."  
I blushed. "What did you do to George?"  
Fred looked shocked. "Now, why would you assume it was me? I'm offended you care more about his manliness than my successes in thievery."  
"Don't worry, I'm not impressed by either," I said dryly. Fred rolled his eyes.  
"Whatever you say, Granger," he teased.

Fred watched me as I did general clean-up of the office. Never did he comment on what I was doing, nor did he try to make conversation. He was good company and knew when to stay quiet. When it was ten thirty and time for me to go, he came up to me and gave me a tight hug.  
"I really appreciate everything you've done for us, Hermione," he said genuinely. "It means a lot." He gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and let me go, covering himself in the cloak.

I was a bit frustrated knowing that he could see me blush deeply yet I didn't even know where he was in the room. Regardless, I whispered, "You exit the doors first, I'll hold them open for you," and did just that. I quickly checked on George, saw that he was okay and called out a goodbye to Madam Pomfrey as I left for the evening. When we were a safe distance away from the hospital, Fred took off the cloak and handed it back to me. I shoved it in my bag; I'd figure out how to return it to Harry later.

"So what did you find?" I asked curiously. "Anything of use?"  
"Oh yeah," Fred grinned. "Absolute gold. But just so we're clear, you've been a real help to us, but this is as far as we go. For all intents and purposes, you know nothing of this; you were never involved. Okay?"  
Although I was a little disappointed by this, I readily agreed. Better for my reputation anyway. "I'm still curious as to what you're doing but I'll let it drop for now – I dare say I'll find out sooner or later. Do I still get that favour?"  
"Of course you do!" Fred reassured me. "I always hold up my end of deals."  
"And I can use it for whatever I want?"  
"Yep."  
"Whenever I want?"  
"I guess?"  
"Brilliant."

We walked in silence the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower. Once we were set to part in the common room, I said stupidly, "George will be fine tomorrow morning."

Of course, Fred already knew this.

"And I'd be happy to help with any other research you need," I offered. "So long as there's no more breaking in or anything illegal like that."  
"I've heard you're quite the researcher," Fred said kindly. I snorted.  
"Yes, that's one way of putting it."  
"If I did take you up on that offer, Hermione, would it be doctor-patient confidentiality?" Fred stared at me, observing my reaction. It suddenly was very hot in the common room, but the fire was low.  
"Everything is with me," I murmured. I reached up to pull a strand of hair away from my face but Fred bet me to it, so I ended up holding on to his finger instead, which led to him holding my hand. I felt extremely awkward – I didn't truly know what to do with his hand so after a moment of wavering, I tried to pull my hand away from his. He refused to let mine go.

I looked up into his eyes which were kind, gentle, and even a bit amused at my awkwardness. He pulled me into a soft hug. "Thanks again, Hermione."  
"No problem," I replied and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His arms were firm and felt nice around my waist. But, it was time for bed, so I pulled away.

"Goodnight Fred."  
"Goodnight, Healer Hermione."

And with one last fleeting look, my heart started pounding as I went to bed. This was quite abnormal, because boys didn't usually stir up this kind of feeling in me. But I was no fool, I knew what was happening. It was stupid, and a bit pathetic, but damn. Fred Weasley was just extremely attractive.

I guess research and the gaining of knowledge wasn't the only thing that excited me anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Breakfast at Harry's**

I clutched my book bag nervously. What if Harry saw through my charade? He would know I was lying to him, and then he'd ask questions, and I just don't want to go into that with him…

"Hi Harry," my mouth was saying before I even registered that I was sitting down beside him. He smiled at me.  
"Hey 'Mione," he greeted after swallowing his cereal. "Have you seen my cloak? I couldn't find it last night."  
"Yeah, I have it right here," I admitted guiltily. "I'm sorry Harry, I should have asked for it, I just..."  
"No, it's okay," Harry grinned at me. "I imagine you would only be using it for good. Did you find any good books in the Restricted Section?"  
I gaped. "What?"  
Harry gave me an _oh come on _look. "Hermione, why else would you need my cloak? I'm the explorer, remember?"  
I smiled at him. "Well if you must know, I did find a couple of good ones," I informed him. Complete folly, of course, but he didn't need to know that. It was a nice cover up.

Later in the morning I felt extremely fidgety. I could feel someone staring at me and burning holes through the back of my head but I didn't have the guts to turn around and look. To my absolute misfortune, however, Ron was sitting opposite me that morning.

"Why's Fred staring at you?" he asked grumpily. I refused to turn around and check if he was telling the truth. Mashed potato was on the corner of Ron's mouth; I focused on that instead.  
"You have crumbs, Ron," I said and pointed to where they were. He wiped them away shortly. "And I don't know, maybe there's something in my hair. Maybe he isn't even looking at me."

Harry turned around under the pretence of scanning the room. "Nah, he's definitely looking at you, Mione. But don't worry, there's nothing in your hair, and even if there was I'm sure nobody would notice," he teased. I didn't mind when Harry joked about my hair. But only Harry; no one else was allowed to, and definitely not Ron.

"Come on, we should get to class," I smiled. After handing Harry back his cloak, which he in turn put in his bag, we left the Great Hall to my intense relief. I fell down the vanishing step but Harry and Ron both pulled me out with laughter. Ron also prevented me from falling backwards down the stairs; his hands were on my waist until I regained my balance. They felt nice, but not as nice as Fred's did.

Regardless of any near-fiasco on the staircase, I made it through the entire day without any injury. Immediately before the last session of the day, which was Transfiguration (today we were transfiguring a wooden chair to a leather couch!) Professor McGonagall intercepted me in the doorway. "Poppy has requested your presence in the Hospital Wing, Miss Granger," she said stiffly. "Something about your patient being troublesome. I trust you have practiced this spell already?" I nodded, but I was eager to show her myself. "Very well. Off you go then."

So I journeyed down the stairs – carefully, might I add, for I had no one to stop me from hurting myself and wouldn't it be ironic if I did – and wondered what on earth Fred had gotten himself into now.

"Madam Pomfrey, will I be called out of class every time Fred lands himself in the hospital?" I wondered as I walked through the door. She greeted me with a stony glare.  
"Yes, Miss Granger. I think he will prove to be wonderful practise for you."  
I smiled at her. She handed me an empty clipboard. "You can start from the start this time. I'm sure you can identify any symptoms on your own."

And with that, she left us alone. Fred was grinning at me.  
"Something went wrong at lunch," he stated. I sighed.  
"Of course. What did you eat?" I asked conversationally as I filled out the required sections. _Name: Fred Weasley. Age: Seventeen. Gender: Male. House: Gryffindor.  
_"Dunno. I can't remember."  
_Memory loss.  
_"Anything else unusual?" I asked.  
"Well, George was looking at me a lot, I think he might be developing something a little more intimate than friendship," Fred said seriously. I gagged.  
"Fred, _honestly_. He's your brother, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," I replied. Fred looked shocked.  
"Am I not good enough for him? I'm hurt." I started laughing at him. "Healer Hermione, put that down on your symptoms list right this instant. My heart is broken! This is a serious issue!"

I wrote down _hurt pride._

"There, satisfied?" I asked him, waving the clip board in his face. He nodded appropriately. "Good. Now let's get down to business. What's wrong with you?"  
"You mean besides a broken heart?" he teased. "Vomiting. It was nice and glittery though, so that was a bonus."  
_Coloured vomit. _"What class did you have just now?" I wondered. He screwed up his nose.  
"Divination."  
"And might this be one of your colourful little products that you and George create in your spare time?" I smirked. Fred smiled.  
"George and I, actually. Proper English is important."  
"Right," I agreed. "I would know that, except you keep pulling me out of class with your little product problems. So nowadays I'm not learning anything."  
"Are you saying that you're my personal Healer now?" Fred asked curiously. I shrugged.  
"Pretty close to it," I said absentmindedly. I filled out the diagnosis area – _Wizard Wheezes. _  
"Well I highly doubt you're not learning anything at all," Fred said confidently.

I snorted. "We shall see. Try to keep your product testing to a minimum, okay? I have O.W.L's soon and I need to concentrate." I got up ready to leave after signing my signature on the sheet.

"But what about me, Healer Hermione? I'm sick and I need caring for!"  
"You'll be fine," I smiled. "I'm sure George will be more than willing to help you out."  
Fred was grumbling when I left the hospital, but I knew that he would be swallowing the other half of whatever candy he had eaten before.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Impossible Plans**

I was in the Library studying for my upcoming O.W.L's. They were thirty-six weeks away and I hadn't even looked at my Charms work! No matter, if I devised a new study timetable that made Charms the focus... I could switch Care of Magical Creatures with Potions and lessen the work load on Tuesdays...  
Books thumped in front of me. "Hermione," Fred and George said at once.

I looked up cautiously. They were never in the Library. "Nice to see you've kept out of trouble," I said to Fred, with a smile. "What can I do for you? You must be desperate, being in the library and all."  
"We're in the Library more often than you think," Fred said.  
"Just not where you can see us." George added. "Anyway, we have things to discuss." They invited themselves to sit at my table, scraping the chairs on the floor. I winced. "We need your help."

I looked at Fred, then at George, then at my hands. "Again?" was all I could muster. They nodded enthusiastically. "Guys, you know that I would love to but besides the fact that I don't entirely condone your products and how you test them, I just don't have the time..."

"You see, we've thought about that," George interrupted.  
"We don't test on first years anymore, remember?" Fred added. "Only ourselves and Lee."  
"And our products will be the future," George said proudly.  
"We just need a little genius to kick start us," Fred admitted. "We can only do so much on our own."  
I deliberated for a minute. "Tell me what I need to do and I'll think about it."  
They were shaking their heads. "Either you give us the Unbreakable Vow or you hear nothing from us," George said quietly.  
"Doctor patient confidentiality?" I offered. Fred cracked a grin.  
"We need your word that you're in on this until the end," Fred said easily. "It won't take long. Just a bit of research, I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable."

I knew better than to immediately say yes to the twins. But research... and maybe I'd get another favour out of it...

"Fine, do you want to shake on it?" I joked. Evil grins appeared on their faces. I immediately backtracked. "Woah, hang on a minute! What did I just agree to?"  
"No, no, Hermione! You already agreed to this!" Fred said gleefully.  
I put my hands over my ears like a child. "No! I haven't heard anything yet, I can still back out safely!" I started shaking my head. "I'm innocent in this!"

Together the twins burst out in laughter which Madam Pince was bound to hear. Of course, she stuck her head around the corner within seconds – I wonder if she was stalking them through the Library, waiting for them to cause trouble.  
"Mister Weasley's and Miss Granger! Outside at once!" she screeched. I quickly gathered my stuff and forced it into my bag, Fred and George walking ahead of me talking in low voices.

I hurried to catch up when they increased speed in the corridor. "I'm regretting this decision already!" I called out.  
"Probably," Fred agreed.  
"I would," George teased.

_Oh no._

"Please just tell me what it is you need me to do," I said desperately. "I'm starting to freak out."  
"Well, it's not just research we need you to do," George admitted.  
"Surprise, surprise," I muttered. There's always a catch with these two.  
"We also need a sample of the ingredient," Fred explained, perhaps a bit nervously. "But it's a bit tricky to get."  
"I'm sure Snape will have some," I said confidently. The Weasley's shook their heads.  
"We checked already. We wouldn't ask you if we weren't desperate and we know that you're capable of doing this," Fred said earnestly.  
"You're the only person other than Lee we trust enough to do this and make it out alive," George said quickly.  
"You have five seconds to explain what you need or I am out of this, regardless of any deals I made," I said sternly. What on earth did he mean, _make it out alive?_ I would risk my life for Harry and Ron without a second thought in the face of Voldemort... but for the _twins_? For a bloody ingredient?

"Acromantula venom," they said in unison.

I sighed in relief. "Is that all?" I asked.  
They looked at me incredulously. "Do you understand how rare this is to find?" George asked me, as if I didn't hear the question.  
"Do you understand that Hagrid had an acromantula and probably has some in his cabin? And if that fails, Slughorn has some too?"  
Fred and George looked amazed. "Looks like you've got this under control then," Fred said simply.  
"But we need a large sample," George added. "And we need to know all of its uses. We have a general idea, but the more the better."  
"And you can't do that yourself?" I asked sceptically.  
"We know you'll be more thorough than us," Fred praised.

I laughed.

"I think you two are just too scared to get the venom yourselves and too lazy to do the work," Hermione joked. "But whatever you say. I said I'd do it, so I will."  
"Brilliant!" Fred murmured.  
"Oh, and we need it in two days," George said. "See you later."

And they disappeared.

Now it's not like what they wanted was difficult to get. But I had other commitments and two days was a very short time. But.

I was Hermione Granger, and research was my thing. I could do this with ease.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Research Methods**

"I'm going down to Hagrid's tonight," I declared to Harry and Ron. They looked guiltily up at me.  
"Should we come with you?" Ron asked, although he looked at Harry. Harry looked at me.  
"We have kind of forgotten him lately," he murmured.  
"It would be nice to have some company," I hinted. Hagrid may be so overjoyed at the sight of his favourite students that my request may not seem so strange.  
"Right then, let's go," Harry said as he jumped up, leaving his homework behind. Ron followed suit.

It wasn't the coldest of evenings at Hogwarts but winter was definitely on its way. I hurried to get to Hagrid's where I knew a large fire would be roaring. Soon enough we reached the cabin door; I knocked impatiently.

With no reply after a few seconds, Harry knocked again louder. With no answer again, Ron opened the door and we let ourselves in.

Hagrid was snoring loudly on his bed that seemed just a bit too small for his gigantic body. The three of us made as much noise as possible upon our entry but Hagrid seemed to be in a drunken slumber – a bottle or two (or four) were on the ground beside his meaty hand.

"Come on, we should go," Ron said loudly, perhaps in an effort to wake Hagrid up, but to no avail. Harry was nodding. "Come on, Hermione."

But I didn't want to leave. I came here on a mission, and damn it I was going to do it. I had a deadline to meet.  
"Hang on," I said. I started rummaging through Hagrid's cupboards. "I need something that he has."

"Hermione," Ron hissed. "Are you seriously going to _steal _from Hagrid?"  
"No," I snapped. "Just... borrow something and pray his doesn't notice I took it."  
Silence. "Need any help looking?" Harry offered after a moment's hesitation. Ron gaped.  
"Hagrid's our _friend,_" he moaned, but I knew he was willing to help.  
"I'm looking for Aragog's venom," I informed them. They stared at me.  
"Sorry, I'm out," Ron said immediately, looking a bit green. Harry opened his mouth.  
"Harry, please don't ask questions right now, just help me look," I begged. He nodded slowly.  
"What does it look like?"  
I could have kissed him. "It's purple swirly stuff. Very thick. There shouldn't be very much either..."

Ron sat heavily down on a wooden chair, which made Hagrid snort and roll over a bit. We froze, but he didn't wake. "You know, out of all of the things we've ever done," Ron said conversationally, "This is by far the worst."  
"I know," I said guiltily. _But Fred and George need this. _"It's for extra credit on my O.W.L's."  
"Hermione, like you need it," Ron grumbled. "They're going to have to invent a special level just for you. Way above Outstanding. How about H for Hermione Granger?"  
"Too plain," Harry disagreed. "Z, for Zealous."  
"E for Extravagant."  
"E is for Exceeds Expectations, Ron."  
"Oh, right."

"Hermione, is this it?" Harry asked suddenly, holding a giant bottle. It was dark purple and it hurt to look at. I nodded and pulled out a smaller vial from my cloak, one that would suffice for Fred and George. This venom was deadly, after all.  
"Brilliant, thank you!" I took the jar and uncorked it, poured some into my vial, and corked them both again.  
"Hagrid will notice some of it is gone," Ron pointed out. "And you can't refill it because it will lose its magical properties."  
"How did you know that?" Harry asked.  
"Do you think it will matter? I mean, what will Hagrid use this for anyway?" I interrupted. I needed to get out of this hut right now. I couldn't think straight.  
"Shrink the bottle?" Ron suggested. That was brilliant, flawless, so I did just that. When putting the now slightly but unnoticeably smaller jar back in the cupboard, I noticed about thirty other vials filled with webs.  
I knew what this was. It was acromantula web, almost as valuable as the venom. It was over a centimetre thick and silver. Fred and George would _love _this. I took two of those vials.

"Alright, let's go," I murmured, and we left Hagrid's hut. When we shut the door, I could've sworn I heard Hagrid fall off his bed and start muttering.

"Hermione, you're absolutely mental," Ron stated as we walked back to the castle. "Are you ever going to tell him that you stole some of the most valuable ingredients he owns?"  
"I think its best he never found out," I hinted. Ron shook his head.  
"You're unbelievable," he groaned.

We walked in silence until we reached the castle. "I've never really noticed how much stuff Hagrid actually has," Harry admitted. "I mean, almost everything I touched was an ingredient or creature of some sort."  
"I know, right?" I agreed. "I could have sworn I saw a unicorn horn and dragon's blood."  
"And I definitely noticed Cornish pixie dust and fairy wings."  
"Lacewing string, flobberworm faeces, devil's snare. I could set up a store from his window," I joked.

Ron snorted. "I noticed Fang wasn't there," he said seriously. "Guess we got lucky tonight, because Fang would have woken Hagrid up."  
"I was planning on asking Hagrid for this stuff anyway," I said quietly. "This was the back-up plan!"  
"Not the worst plan you've ever come up with," Harry laughed. Which was true, of course.  
"So how did you know it would lose its magical properties, Ron?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged.  
"Why do you think it's rare, Harry? If people could just refill their collections all the time…"  
"Oh, right."

I said what had to be over a thousand thank-you's to Harry and Ron and hugged each of them, reassuring them that they were the best friend's a girl could ever have, before departing and heading for the library. I knew exactly what book I needed for the research Fred and George had asked me to complete.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Beasts and Boasts**

I placed _Acromantula: The Revised Edition _by _Wally Shwerzinger _back on the restricted section's shelf. Madam Pince had allowed me one hour in there alone, but that was plenty of time for me. I had a stack of notes I thought Fred and George would find useful that I put carefully into my bag, trying not to crinkle them. I wrapped the acromantula venom and web in spare parchment as added protection and placed them in my bag too. Locking the Restricted doors behind me, I carefully made my way up to Gryffindor tower.

_"Father always promises me a new broom," _I heard Draco Malfoy telling whoever was with him. _"But this year I told him not to bother. I would much prefer the cash." _  
Pathetic, girlish laughter alerted me to Pansy Parkinson's presence. Seeing a deserted hallway, I quickly turned down it in an effort to avoid them. I picked up my pace and pulled out my wand.

"Look who it is!"

I just wasn't quick enough to avoid them, apparently. I kept walking but at a much calmer pace.

"Look at her hair!" Pansy shrieked. "Can it get any bushier?"  
I shrugged off the insult. It was no use getting fired up over a Slytherin.  
"I'm sure there's a spell for it," Malfoy sneered.

Instinct made me move slightly to the left for I hadn't turned around the moment I heard their voices. Blue sparks hit a suit of armour ahead of me – the spell had missed me by inches.

I was nearing the end of the corridor.

"Aren't Gryffindor's supposed to be brave?" Malfoy drawled.  
"Yeah! Why are you running away, Granger?" Pansy giggled.  
"I'm not running away," I said calmly, without turning around. I put my bag on the floor, out of harm's way around the corner. I had reached the end of the corridor and I turned around confidently. "You two look good together," I said kindly. My wand was aimed at them. "The ferret and the pug."  
"You bitch!" Pansy screamed at the same time Malfoy said "You filthy Mudblood!"

My wand flicked and ropes shot out, binding the two Slytherin's together so tightly there was barely enough breathing space, before they hand even lifted their wands. The sudden loss of freedom made the two fall over backwards in surprise due to a loss of balance, forcing them to drop their wands. I regarded them with contempt before I walked away to collect my bag.

I saw it dangling from two hands, which led up to the faces of the Weasley twins. They looked mildly impressed.

"Fancy wand work," Fred commented.  
"You need to work on your insults though," George said seriously.  
I slung the bag over my shoulder. "It's first on my list of priorities," I promised. We walked past the two tangled Slytherin's again, Fred kicking Malfoy in the ribs on his way past, and headed up to Gryffindor Tower.  
"Speaking of priorities," I began, but with a shake of their heads I was silenced. They led me down a secret passage that opened on the seventh floor – they were taking me to the Room of Requirement. I was curious as to what they would show me.

Fred stayed by my side as George paced in front of the seemingly blank wall three times. As the door materialised, I went through first and was overwhelmed immediately.

"This is our stock," Fred explained. "We've been making our own products to sell all year now."  
"But before we go into that," George said, "You have to…"  
"Swear that I'll never tell anyone," I said in a monotone voice.  
"And you have to agree to become a part in our business," Fred said professionally. "We could use your expertise."  
"I… I don't think… I am _hardly _an expert," I spluttered.  
"Come on, Hermione," George pleaded. "You're a person of knowledge,"  
"Someone we can trust," Fred added.  
"And we know you would be useful in the production of new products," George said firmly.  
"Oh, and I'd be in the hospital a lot less because you would actually know what you're doing," Fred teased.  
"I like your visits in the hospital," I said without thinking. Fred grinned and I blushed.  
George pounced on a sign of weakness. "Well you can see him more frequently if you help us out!"  
"Right…" I said slowly. "Look, I need time to think about this."  
They nodded. "As much time as you need," Fred promised.  
"Good. Now, what did you need the venom for?" I wondered. "I also have something else for you I think you'll like, besides the research…"

The twins looked guilty when I pulled out all of my notes. "About that…" Fred murmured.  
"Yeah, see, we don't actually need it," George admitted. "It was more of a test for you."  
"Excuse me?" How dare they waste my time! I went to _so _much trouble for these two evil, conniving…  
"We had to make sure you were worthy, Hermione. We only want the best," Fred assured me.  
"And you are," George praised.

I shrugged modestly.

"But let's see what you've brought us," Fred said enthusiastically. George took the papers while Fred took the packages. George was already nodding his head to some of my notes as he read.  
I glanced at Fred only to find he was looking at me proudly. "I knew you'd come through," he said with a grin. I smiled back.  
"I'll be offended if all of my hard work was for nothing in the end," I said grumpily, but I was only teasing.  
"Don't you worry, Hermione. There is some really useful stuff in here, things that even I didn't get," George mumbled. Fred's grin widened.  
"Hurry up, I want to see what's in here."

George put my research down and sat in front of Fred like it was Christmas day. As I sat, a fluffy red cushion appeared under my bum. Fred and George followed suit – purple for Fred, green for George. My awful wrapping job was torn off in just a second and they admired the bottle. "It hurts to look at," George grumbled.  
"That's because of the predator pheromones," I began. "They're specifically designed to scare other creatures…" Fred and George burst out laughing.  
"Hush, Hermione," Fred laughed. "We _know._"  
A bit disappointed that I wasn't able to finish, I had to remind myself that Fred and George weren't Harry and Ron, were older, more experienced, and probably knew more than I did as much as I didn't like to admit it.

"So if the venom is here," George said curiously.  
"What's in here?" Fred finished, holding up the last package. I grinned.  
"Open them and find out!"

Glints of silver reflected into my eyes as they twisted the vials around. George was holding his up to the light, Fred close to his eyes. "Careful," I warned, "You'll turn yourself blind."  
He flashed a grin as bright as the web and asked, "Is this what I think it is?"  
"Acromantula web," George confirmed in awe.  
"Almost as rare as the venom and just as expensive," I agreed.

It was strange, because one second Fred and George were looking at the three vials, and the next they had enveloped me in a tight group hug. We fell backwards onto the floor as I was not expecting their sudden weight. "Can't… breathe…" I managed to get out. They immediately jumped off.  
"Sorry, Hermione," George apologised. "It's just…"  
"You really went above and beyond on this one," Fred explained.  
"Well, I saw it and thought you might like it," I said sweetly. "Besides, looking around at everything in here, I'm sure it will come in handy at some stage in your career."

Their eyes light up. "Let us show you around, Healer Hermione."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Weasley Wizard Wheezes**

"Those are works in progress," George said as he steered me away from the boiling cauldrons. I frowned at him.  
"I can smell the lavender oil and boomslang skin," I told him. "That's going to erupt!"  
"That's the plan," Fred agreed with a smile. I shook my head and let it go.

"Now over here…" We moved to a colourful array of shelves – obviously colour coordinated, for yellow was on one end which eventually reached a navy blue. "Are our button-bombs."  
"Are they organised in rank of damage?" I asked. Fred nodded.  
"The yellow ones cause the most damage," he explained. "The pinks and purples are medium, and the darker colours are minimal."  
"We thought that since brighter colours are most conspicuous, they may as well cause the most damage," George added gleefully. "They're a finished product."

Moving on, we followed a line of orange boxes, each with a large purple 'W' imprinted on each side. "What are they?" I asked curiously, heading over to one. Fred pulled me back immediately.  
"Don't go over there," he warned. "That's a nasty invention."  
I didn't think I wanted to know but George told me anyway. "It's like a muggle jack-in-the-box, only it sprays out _mimbulus mimbletonia _puss at the victim."  
I swallowed. "Great."

Large crates were crammed into a corner. "Another finished product," George said proudly.  
"Well, almost," Fred corrected. "This is our candy collection."  
"Care to try one, Hermione?" George offered, holding out an orange and blue sweet. I shook my head immediately, my mouth clamped shut.  
"Probably best, that one makes your eyes roll back," Fred murmured. "Not a pleasant experience."  
"But hilarious to watch," George said. "And that one gives you severe diarrhoea, that makes you cry, that makes you have an epileptic seizure on the outside but gives you a wonderful daydream on the inside…"

We reached sky high shelves. Boxes and toys and wigs and clothing items were all forced into the racks. "Be careful here, Hermione," Fred warned. "These are still being tested, and some are quite dangerous."  
"Like this one, for example!" George shouted. He had disappeared and I heard his voice come from a long way away. He eventually showed around the corner, dragging a large cauldron made of gold.

"This is what landed Fred in the hospital wing," George said evilly. "A personal favourite of mine, mind you…"  
"Explain it to her before you show her, George," Fred said immediately. He didn't look too pleased with the cauldron being so near, I noted. I backed away almost imperceptibly.  
"You see, as part of our newest clothing range," George said grandly, indicating to the hats and gloves on the benches around us, "We thought, _well, a fur coat would be pretty trendy! _Quite a fashion statement, don't you think Hermione? Yes, well we thought, wouldn't it be just marvellous if we made one that remained waterproof, but could feel like any texture you wanted!"

"I don't understand," I said blandly when George looked at me expectantly. Fred laughed.

"Just nod and go along with it, I do," he teased. George frowned.  
"Let me show you." He proceeded to pull out a brown fur coat from the cauldron I had _thought _had liquid in it, but it was not wet. "Waterproof," I murmured. The twins nodded.

Fred put it on. It really didn't suit him, so I giggled. "A true fashion statement," I repeated, laughing. He grinned. "Have a feel. It's supposed to feel like a bear's coat."  
"But it looks so…" _Soft, _I was going to say, but it was hard and wiry like a bear.  
"Now it's duck." Smooth and silky. "Lion." Thick and warm.

"You get the idea," he said, shrugging off the coat.  
"Unfortunately we can only do mammal coats at the moment," George admitted with a frown, "But we're working on that. I want to make reptile ones."  
"So that's why Fred's scratches looked so real," I realised. "You were trying to make a bloody coat."

Sheepish grins were sent my way. "Funny story, that! A baby bear actually materialised out the cauldron – it was very real, mind you –"  
"George was too scared to put in the ingredients so _I _had to do it, which is why I got scratched," Fred interjected. "I was right in front of the bear."  
"It was absolutely hilarious," George laughed, "But then you went unconscious and it wasn't very funny anymore."  
"I wonder what happened to it, the poor thing," I wondered.  
"Excuse me, I got _scratched _and went _unconscious!_" Fred exclaimed, outraged. "I think I should receive some sympathy, instead of the bear that just hid back in the bloody cauldron!"  
I laughed and pat him on the head. I had to stand on my tip-toes to do it. "There, there," I cooed. He frowned at me and pushed my hand away.  
"Anyway," he hinted. "That awful incident led me to think of the idea of invisibility clothing, which is the hats over there."  
"You mean the _Scars, Begone! _potion you so desperately needed to know about gave you the idea," I corrected. He waved his hand at me. "Whatever."

"So welcome to the ranks, Hermione… Where anything goes and fun is money. Try not to do any lasting damage," George grinned.

I smiled back at my two new partners… _in crime, _my mind whispered. I was sure I was going to enjoy it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Cause and Effect**

Sitting in the Great Hall and dinnertime was always a loud affair. Gryffindor's in particular were especially rowdy tonight – we had just won the last game of Quidditch before the holidays – and it was a cause for celebration. The Hufflepuff's were kind and accepting of their loss of the game; it was only by a small margin, Ginny Weasley had told me. She then proceeded to go into great detail about the game and the boys on the Hufflepuff team – especially Cedric Diggory, who was apparently _as fine as a rare chocolate-flavoured sugar quill,_ whatever that meant, and was also out of her league. Needless to say I tuned out.

Dumbledore was at the podium making a few announcements before dinner started. While he was talking, I heard a loud whisper behind me at the Slytherin table. Rage boiled in my blood.

"_I bet that mudblood has more kinks than we know," _Draco Malfoy was 'whispering'. "_Older guys is hardly surprising, but a threesome? That shocks even me."  
"And with the Weasley twins as well," _Pansy Parkinson added in disgust. "_Who could go so low!"_

I clenched my fork but refused to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. I pretended to ignore the Slytherin's although I was hanging onto their every word.

_"Maybe Weaselbee is part of it too," _Malfoy sneered. "_Probably doesn't mind the incest… I bet he would take any action he can get."  
_Muffled sniggers.

Then, thankfully, Dumbledore wished everyone "A very merry Christmas" and noise erupted in the Hall, drowning out the awful Slytherins.

"What was all that about?" Harry murmured. I jumped, having forgotten that he was sitting next to me, and that I alone was not the only one within hearing distance of Malfoy. Looking across the table I saw Ron, whose face was deep red and was obviously ignoring me.  
Tears sprung to my eyes. "Oh, Harry. I just… he saw me, Harry, after we'd been to Hagrid's and I left you… he tried to attack me but he – I got to him first, and I guess that made him angry… and then Fred and George appeared and they were s-so _kind _to me, and escorted me back to the tower and I…" I erupted into tears.

Harry looked lost. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he said gently, rubbing my back soothingly. "I shouldn't have let you go on your own."  
"No," I said immediately. "I can look after myself – it probably wouldn't have mattered but because Pansy was with him he probably felt the need to retaliate… if he was alone he would have pretended it didn't happen…"

More tears fell and Harry pulled me in to his shoulder in a comforting hug. Later, I would realise that this only fuelled the fire the Slytherin's had created – not only was I into the Weasley men, Harry was in on it as well (and they wondered who got which holes in my body), but at that moment I didn't even realise. I was distraught at the idea of my reputation being ruined by an idiot like Malfoy.

I dried my tears and sat up straight. I refused to accept that Malfoy could bring me down. I was stronger than that. So I ate my dinner and chatted with my friends, acting like nobody heard Malfoy and all was okay. When a sudden catapult of peas landed in my hair, I knew who the culprits were. Nobody had time to react before I did; I was already on edge, waiting for another insult, so my reactions were too fast for everyone else.

I turned around and blew up the Slytherin table with a precisely aimed _bombarda – _ exactly where Malfoy was sitting, in fact. His food splattered all over his robes and landed in his hair; all the platters of food went into the air and exploded over the other Slytherin's who laughed when Malfoy told the lies about me. Most people (like me) at the Gryffindor table had quick enough reactions to cast shields over our heads which stopped us from being hit by the food. Screams and yells were heard and the general noise in the Hall increased, especially since the majority of the Hall missed what had happened. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs immediately spread over the hall, wanting details and listening to gossip.

Tension at the Gryffindor table alerted me to the stormy force of the Deputy Headmistress.

_"HERMIONE GRANGER! My office, NOW!" _She stormed out of the Great Hall, expecting me to follow. With a last rude gesture to Malfoy – entirely out of the ordinary for me, might I add – I left the Great Hall with pride.

Screw Malfoy.

"I should _expel _you," Professor McGonagall was ranting. "What atrocious behaviour, Miss Granger. I have always expected better from you! Now, I don't know what on earth caused you to behave so horribly –"  
"It was Malfoy," I interrupted, but she ignored me.  
"But I don't care! You will receive detention every night of the holidays and your Healing training shall subside. I am awfully disappointed in you, Miss Granger."  
"My Healing training? Professor, you can't!" I was outraged and shocked. How could she? Did she not hear the disgusting things Malfoy was saying about me?  
"I can and I will," she confirmed sternly.

"And what does Malfoy get for what he did?" I demanded.  
"What on earth does Draco Malfoy have to do with any of this?"  
I couldn't believe it. "Seriously? Do you think I would attack like that without being provoked?"  
Professor McGonagall deliberated. "Professor Snape will deal with him," she decided.  
"Yeah, cause that will solve everything," I said sarcastically.

"Do not push me, Miss Granger. Your detention will be in the evenings each night of the holidays except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I suggest you return to your common room."

Growling, frustrated, and a little shocked, I left her office.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: The Common Room**

I slumped in front of the fire. I was hungry, bored, and lonely. Everyone else was still at dinner and I was horribly offended that Ron and Harry hadn't met me here. My blood was still boiling with rage; it was so unfair that I got detention when Malfoy will get a talking to. If that. Sometimes I wished that McGonagall…

The portrait opened and all of Gryffindor seemed to flood through. Harry and Ron were leading the pack, bruised, battered, and covered in food from head to toe, so it seemed. They had small grins on their faces though.

"Dinner got cancelled," Ron said as he fell onto the couch beside me. Harry also sat down, giving me a cursory glance before nodding to himself.  
"Why did it get cancelled?" I asked. Surely what I did wasn't so bad?  
"The Slytherin's didn't go to getting attacked quite well," Harry said. "They started firing at us."  
"Spells and food – an awful mix," Ron scrunched up his nose as he picked at his robes. "The first and second years threw the food."  
"Ginny was the main fighter with food from our side," Harry grinned. "She's got quite an aim, and I think the strength behind it was enough to leave bruises."  
"Fred and George nearly gave all the professor's heart attacks when they let off fireworks," Ron laughed. "Merlin knows where they pulled those from, but it sure scared the hell out of the Slytherins."  
"Hermione, you should have seen them," Harry gushed. "They're not like muggle fireworks – these ones were actual dragons that breathed fire and everything!"  
"It sounds amazing," I agreed.

Fred, George and Ginny immersed from the crowd of Gryffindor's in the common room, having obviously spotted us, and sat at our feet. They each had a massive grin on their face.  
"It's a nice change to have someone other than Harry causing trouble," Ginny said heartily.  
"You're telling me," Harry agreed.  
We all laughed, then George eyed me. "So Hermione, did you get expelled?"  
I snorted. "I'm still here, aren't I?"  
"Did you get suspended, then?"  
I shook my head.  
"Did you get any punishment at all?" Fred asked incredulously. I smiled.  
"Has McGonagall ever been that lenient?" I asked. "Of course I did. I have detention every night of the holidays."  
Ginny looked distraught. "But what about _Christmas?_" she asked, as if it was the worst thing in the world. I laughed at her; Ginny never failed to make me smile.  
"I'm allowed Christmas Eve and Day off. But what about you guys, surely you got some punishment as well?"

Looking around, everyone but the twins was shaking their head. "We have detention too," said George happily, "But only for a week."  
"I get two weeks," Fred admitted. "But that's not my fault."  
I was insanely curious when Ron started sniggering. "You're in for it now, Fred."

I looked between the two Weasley's. "Will somebody please tell me what I'm missing?"  
Ron tried to hide his grin. "Fred thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring the house elves into the battle."  
Horrified, I turned to look at Fred. "Is this true?" I demanded. He tilted his head.  
"Well… yes and no."  
"Explain. Now."  
"Well yes, I _encouraged _them to join the fight – they need a bit of excitement in their boring lives anyway – but that's not why I received detention."

Could this get any worse?

George's grin widened. "Go on Fred, tell her why you got two weeks detention."  
"It's nothing bad, Hermione," he assured me, but I didn't believe him at all. "We've had a new candy in the makings."  
"Alright."  
"And this one is for your enemies, of course."  
"Of course."  
"And I decided to try it on Malfoy."  
"I think I see where this is going."  
"Stop dragging it out, Fred," George groaned. "Look, it's a basic hallucinatory drug right? But this one makes you… experience… your worst fear, although it's not actually happening to you."  
"And Malfoy's worst fear is that he loses his genitals ," Fred grinned. "Oh Hermione, you missed out on quite the spectacle."

Ginny burst out laughing. "Seriously, Hermione. He was on top of the tables screaming and clutching himself because he thought they'd disappeared forever, and he kept asking everyone to look and…" she was laughing so hard she couldn't talk anymore.

"I have to admit, this is not where I thought you were going," I giggled. With a grin from both Fred and George, the former said "Well, needless to say, it needs a bit of work."  
"I think it's perfect the way it is," Ron disagreed. "When can I get some?"  
"All in good time, Ronniekins."

Fred, George and Ginny left soon after that which left Harry, Ron and I on the couch. Harry had called Dobby and asked him to bring us some food; my stomach could not contain its cry for hunger. I was pleased to see him wearing clothes; he also looked quite excited, which convinced me that what Fred had said was right. Maybe the elves did need some excitement in their lives.

After some beautiful turkey sandwiches and convincing the boys that I was okay and felt much better, I departed for bed. Never had I been so thankful for silence in my life as I sunk into satisfying dreams of watching Malfoy suffer while searching for his male pride.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Detention**

"You'll be scrubbing floors tonight," Filch growled, throwing me a mop. "About time I got some help around here…" he mumbled as he moved about his office. I eyed his _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous _filing cabinet and my curiosity peaked – if the Marauder's Map came from there, what other useful things could be hidden inside?

"What are you lookin' at?" Filch yelled, rushing in front of the cabinet. "What're you thinkin' of stealin' from 'ere?"  
"Nothing," I said calmly. "I was just looking."  
"Of course you were," Filch sneered. "Start in the Entrance Hall. No magic allowed. Scrub the stairs real good," he added and handed me an old wire brush. I cringed but took it, the mop and a bucket of soapy water up to the Entrance Hall. When I arrived, Fred and George were waiting.

"What do you have to do tonight?" I grumbled. Their hands were empty.  
"Dust the portraits," they said simultaneously.  
"So where's your stuff?" I asked, looking around for it. They pointed up high, and distantly I could see a feather duster and cloth dusting away at the frames and portrait. The residents in the portrait had moved because the duster tickled them.  
"You're not supposed to use magic!" I cried, outraged. "That's unfair!"  
"Yeah, well, so is giving us detention when the Slytherin's provoked _us _and they get _nothing_," Fred growled. George nodded his agreement.

"Anyway, enough chatter. We're going to Hogsmede," George announced. "You coming?"  
"What? No! I have detention!"  
They smiled at me. "So young and innocent," George teased.  
"We're here to spring you, Hermione," Fred offered. "You can come and have some fun with us,"  
"Or you can stay here and scrub the floors by yourself."

Bloody Weasley's. Made everything so difficult and tempting.

"I'm staying here," I decided. "I'm going to do my time and move on." This caused them to erupt into laughter. "Hermione, you shouldn't have to do any time for retaliating," Fred assured me.  
"But nonetheless, suit yourself!" George waved a goodbye, Fred winked, and they walked away from me.

I listened to their footsteps slowly fade away and felt the silence press in on me. The slosh of the mop bucket was my only company and I began to find myself wishing that I had accompanied them. But I always snapped myself out of it: I was a good person, and I would do my detention like a proper student. Besides, skipping detention would probably just end up in more detentions…

An hour or so had passed and I'd only done half of the floor. At least what I had done was shining bright. I felt a bit of pride, at least I did until the doors opened and Fred and George came through, spreading their dirty footprints all over the freshly washed floor.

"Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?" I asked, exasperated. "I had just washed that!"  
"We felt bad for leaving you behind," Fred told me.  
"So we adjusted our trip and went to Honeydukes instead," George said as he handed me a small bag. I refused to take it.  
"You didn't really do that for me, did you?" I asked.  
"We don't leave our own behind," Fred said gallantly.  
George agreed. "Now don't insult us, take the bag."  
Smiling, I put the mop down and reached out for the bag. He handed it to me with a grin.

Fred slyly waved his wand and the mop moved out of my reach. I stepped forward to take it but it jumped back, cleaning the floor as it went. I wasn't stupid enough to try and chase it so, resigned, I let Fred finish the spell and watched the mop clean the floor itself.

"Now isn't this much more satisfying than manual labour?" Fred asked as we sat on the stairs (I had yet to clean). I was sandwiched between the two.  
I didn't answer, instead only saying "Thanks for the sugar quills."  
George absentmindedly put a Pepper Imp into his mouth and blew rings of fire. "That's impressive," I told him, gesturing to the rings. He shrugged modestly.  
"He practised every day over the summer holidays in second year," Fred informed me. George looked embarrassed. "At least I succeeded," he retorted. Fred's ears went pink, but they let the subject drop. I inferred Fred could not blow rings.

Handling a packet of _Droobles Best Blowing Gum_, Fred told me "I've always wanted to use this in Filch's office. The bubbles refuse to pop for days, and him being a squib and all…"  
"So what's held you back?" I wondered.  
"I don't know."

After a moment of silence, I bravely decided to speak up. Everyone had kindly been not mentioning the rumours Malfoy started, but I felt the need to say something. They were directed at me anyway. "Hey guys?"  
Both of them replied with "Yeah?" Their casualness put me at ease.  
"I'm sorry about the things Malfoy said the other night. You didn't need to hear that." I fiddled with my hands.  
My apology resulted in outrage. "Everybody heard it, which was his intention," Fred disagreed.  
"And I'm not sorry! He gave us a chance to test our products on someone who deserved it!" George shouted.  
"He's a dirty ferret who was asking for retaliation," Fred fumed. "All the detentions in the world are worth doing if it meant we got to launch an attack on Malfoy in your honour."

Tears sprung to my eyes although I wasn't sad. I was happy, amused, and mostly touched. "Even if you really weren't allowed to use magic in the detentions?" I joked. They pretended to deliberate.  
"Well, you might be asking a bit much from us there," George teased. I laughed and we resumed our silence.

"I think it's show time, don't you Forge?" George suddenly proclaimed, standing up. Fred jumped up and cleared his throat, puffing his chest out importantly, reminding me of Percy. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Miss Granger," he began. "In celebration of your first detention – "  
"This isn't my first detention," I interrupted, but Fred ignored me.  
"– with the Weasley twins, we wish to present to you this gift." He bowed and George took over.  
"This gift comes from the depths of our hearts," George said solemnly, "and is also in congratulations to your new partnership with _Weasley Wizard Wheezes._"  
"We hope you enjoy the show," they said together, then sat down at once.

With a wave of their wands, tiny lights zoomed out of our candy bags with a _whee! _ Distant pops were heard but I couldn't find the source – when I looked around Fred whispered in my ear, "_watch." _ Then, with a last fizzing sound, a large H materialised in front of us with a large crack of thunder. It hovered over the door in bright purple. Orange fireworks popped around it, but they were only tiny. It truly was a beautiful sight.

I couldn't keep the grin off my face when I realised they had made these fireworks specifically for me, and the amount of thought that went into it truly touched my heart.  
"You guys are too sweet," I told them when the H dissipated. I enveloped each of them in turn in a tight hug, saying thank you to each. "This was the best detention ever."

"Maybe next time you'll come with us to Hogsmede," Fred said hopefully. "It's a lot more fun out there with us."  
"Yeah, you can see us in our area of expertise," George teased. "We've seen you in yours, it's only fair that you return the favour."  
I shrugged. "Maybe," I told them. "I'm not sure that's the safest idea."  
"Nothing is safe with us, Hermione."  
"But that's what makes us brilliant."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Emergency!**

I didn't know it yet, but today would be the day I was allowed to resume my Healing duties, if only for a day. It was _exactly _a week before Christmas day and I was excited.

Sitting in the Library doing some OWL study, I was completely at peace. I had devised a new timetable to allow for my detentions and lack of classes; Ron and Harry thought I was mad, but they'd be sorry later for not being organised. They always were when they realised exams were near.

Professor McGonagall burst into the Library and was calling my name, earning glares from other students and Madam Pince. I quickly packed up my stuff and followed her voice; it was frantic.  
"Oh there you are, good. Follow me," she said in a flustered rush, speeding off with me in her wake.

"What's going on?" I asked when she refused to willingly give me details.  
"Apparently Mister Weasley has landed himself in the hospital wing again," she explained. Her pace picked up. "And Poppy wanted you there immediately to care for him. It's an emergency."

My stomach turned into knots but we soon reached the hospital wing. I immediately put on an apron in record time as I reached Madam Pomfrey's side. "What's wrong with him?" I asked.

Bandages were all over Fred's hands which were turning purple very quickly. He was suffering from a fever if the sweat on his face and body was any indication. Seizures gripped him for seconds at a time before he would slump. Unfortunately for him, Fred was still conscious. However, I immediately recognised the effects of acromantula venom from my research. I wondered if Madam Pomfrey knew what was happening.

"He refuses to tell me," Madam Pomfrey fumed. "Said he would rather wait in pain for you than let me fix him." With a small smile I requested privacy and the two older women, grudgingly, left us. With a serious glare at Fred I began unwrapping his bandages. I knew they were useless.

"Were you in the Room of Requirement?" I asked Fred, who nodded. My glare intensified. "What gloves were you using?"  
"Dragon-hide," he managed to get out as another seizure took him. Frustrated, I growled "Did you even read my research?" He shook his head.  
"George," he gasped.

Furious, I walked away and threw the bandages in the bin. "I need George Weasley immediately," I told Professor McGonagall, who scurried away. To Madam Pomfrey; "I need the essence of unicorn blood soaked into bandages, and phoenix tears."

I returned to Fred with some pain-numbing potions. "You're an idiot," I told him. A tired grin appeared on his face. "What on earth were you thinking, using dragon-hide gloves. What was _George _thinking?" Fred glanced towards the doors as he swallowed the potions. George had appeared, looking pale, and was heading towards Fred's bed.

"How you doing, Freddie?" he whispered as he sat beside him. Fred shrugged.  
"You should be ashamed of yourself," I whisper-fumed. McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were at the door, having a discussion in low voices. "Fred could have died!"  
George looked very upset. "He offered to do it," he said, as if that meant anything.

Too furious to argue, I demanded the phoenix tears from Madam Pomfrey, who brought a single tube over. Carefully so as not to waste any, I gently took Fred's hands and dropped the tears one by one into the burned skin. The venom had burned right through his skin and had no doubt entered his bloodstream by now. I could see muscle and veins in some places on his palms and wrists, but it all healed relatively quickly with the phoenix tears. Satisfied, I reached for the bandages that George was holding.

Fred visibly relaxed when the bandages went around his hands. George still looked worried. "What happened?"  
"You didn't read my research, that's what," I snapped. "Next time I bother to do some research for you, you should bother to read it."  
"We're sorry, Hermione," George said solemnly. "Honest."  
Exasperated, I finished tying the bandages with a sticking spell and asked, "Do you even know what you did wrong?"  
Fred and George, after having a silent conversation, shook their heads.

"Let me go through it with you," I said with a fake tone of patience. They were like children. "Acromantula venom is deadly." Making eye contact with both, I made sure this sunk in. "Dragon-hide gloves are a big no-no, even if they're new."  
"Dragon-hide gloves were the only ones we had!" George said, offended. Fred nodded his agreement.  
"For Merlin's sake, that is the worst excuse I've ever heard," I cried. "You were in the _Room of Requirement_, George! Do you even know how to use it? The most fundamental rule of the room is simple: ask and you shall receive. You could have asked for any gloves in the world and they would have shown up, ready for use. Needless to say, you should have realised that dragon-hide and acromantula venom would not react nicely – dragons are reptiles and spiders are afraid of snakes… which are also reptiles… do you see the connection here? Obviously the venom would be more powerful than the hide."

Fred and George were looking awful. They obviously didn't get a true scolding very often. "So what should we have used then?" Fred asked. "We thought dragon-hide would be most protective."  
"_Leather _gloves would have been better use to you. They are easy to get and wouldn't react to the venom. However, seeing as you were in the Room of Requirement, you could have easily received Manticore gloves – their skin repels all charms and spells so they would have offered ultimate protection, and they are not enemies of the acromantula since they are so rare."

"They're expensive," George mumbled, red in his ears.  
I exploded. "Don't you understand, George? The Room of _Requirement_. If you _require, _you shall _receive_, and then it will be _returned. _You are simply _borrowing _from the room. I think you just look for excuses to avoid blame for your mistakes."

Angry, I walked away from the twins. "Fred needs to stay overnight and the bandages need to be changed every six hours with the essence soaked into them," I called out to Madam Pomfrey.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Apologies**

Fred was out of hospital with his hands looking brand new, I hoped. If there was any lasting damage, it would be on me and my record, and I definitely didn't want that. However, I knew that I needed to have more faith in myself – for I was perfectly capable of looking after Fred – and resolved to check up on him later. I didn't need to worry, however. Fred saw me before I saw him, when I was on my way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Thanks for looking after me, Healer Hermione," he yelled from behind me. I paused and turned, a blush rising to my cheeks. He was at the top of the stairs, leaning on the bannister easily. I smiled and waited for him to catch up. He jogged down two stairs at a time with a huge grin on his face.  
"Brand new," he bragged happily and waved his hands in front of my face. Laughing, I slapped them away. Shock appeared on his face as he cradled his hands to his chest. "Hey, careful, I just got these fixed!"  
"I know, I fixed them for you!"

With a shared smile we continued walking in silence. It was quite peaceful, but I could tell he was deep in thought. I waited patiently for him to sort out his thoughts.

"Are you mad at us?" Fred asked eventually, naturally talking for George although he was nowhere to be found. I shook my head.  
"No, Fred. But I am offended that you didn't take the time to read my research, before experimenting with the venom I put so much on the line for, just to get for you."  
"It sounds like you're mad," he said sadly. Reaching out, I grabbed his hand. I checked for scarring. "I'm definitely not mad. Frustrated? A bit. Offended? Absolutely." I let his hand drop. "But not mad. I don't remain angry for long, and it was a mistake anyway."

"You were right, though. We do just look for excuses to avoid blame. George and I have sworn to always read the research now – we made a foolish mistake and I could have died because of it."  
"Maybe you shouldn't be so willing to do dangerous stuff from now on," I teased. I didn't like seeing Fred sad. It didn't sit well with his face.  
"But if I stop, you'll have to deal with George in the hospital instead of me! And that's awful, I'd never force that upon you."

Fred seemed much happier now and returned to his normal joking. "That's why I'm doing the apologising," he added. "I'm the manlier one. George is too afraid to live on the edge, like I am."  
I couldn't help but giggle. "Maybe he just has a bit more common sense than you."  
"Maybe, but where's the fun in that?"  
"Where indeed," I murmured. "Well when you find it, let me know."

We reached the Great Hall and entered together. The Slytherin table erupted into whispers but we ignored them – Fred easier than me. I hated rumours so much.

With an easy grin Fred waved goodbye – another boast of his new hands, no doubt – and sat with George as we passed him. Further down the table were Harry, Ron and Ginny, so I headed for them.  
"You shouldn't fuel the fires," Harry said once I'd sat. I frowned at him.  
"Did that ever work for you?" I retorted. Harry shook his head and apologised.

"Enough of the depressing rumour talk," Ginny said loudly. "Hermione, Christmas is coming up."  
"I know, Ginny," I said.  
"There are only six days to go," she urged.  
"I know," I repeated.  
"I don't have a thing to wear!" Ginny wailed.  
"So what do you suggest we do about that?" I asked her. Ginny was not one for subtlety – when she wanted something, you would be able to tell. She particularly liked making me ask her what she wanted; she thought it was a wonderful game.  
"I think we should go to Diagon Alley," Ginny began. "Hogsmede is nice, but there isn't much variety…"

Ginny continued with her reasoning which I nodded along to in all the right places. It sounded like a nice plan… She was right, Hogsmede was a bit limited… and it would be nice to get away from the castle….

"Yes Ginny, okay. We'll go tomorrow, how's that?"  
"Oh, thank you Hermione!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Diagon Alley**

I never told my parents how much money they were actually giving me when they converted their muggle cash. So over the years, the extra galleons just built up in my purse. This year, in particular, I had extra cash – my parents had gone to France and wanted me 'set up in case of an emergency'. Besides, they were dentists. They had cash to spare.

So when Ginny and I entered Diagon Alley I offered to buy some of her presents for her. Politely, she declined. "Hermione, I know I'm not exactly well off," she explained. "But let me have my dignity. I'll ask you if I'm desperate."

And that was the end of that.

Ginny was determined to buy a nice dress for Christmas day, although as to why that was I was unsure. When I asked her, she said "A girl should always have a dress on hand for emergencies."  
Wondering what time of emergencies a girl would really require a dress for, I let that go too.

"I really need to buy Harry and Ron presents," I told Ginny. She nodded. "But I just don't know what to get them. I'm rubbish at presents."

"There's a collector's tin for Chocolate Frog cards, Ron might like that?" Ginny suggested. "It's got an undetectable extension charm on it too."  
"That sounds nice," I agreed. "But what about Harry? I gave him a Sneakoscope last Christmas."  
"How about a foe glass? Like the one Moody had?"  
I laughed at her. "I'm sure Harry will be delighted to be given a mirror for his birthday."  
Frowning, Ginny said "I'm sure we'll find something."  
"Yeah. Let's get your dress first. That'll be nice and quick."

Although it was not as quick as I thought it would be, Ginny did find a nice dress. It was quite modest, too – Mrs Weasley was bound to approve. She also decided to go against the traditional wizarding robe ("_Why not be a bit different?"_).  
She decided on a simple cotton dress that was a lovely green and flowed to her knees. The neckline was square and the straps were thick over her shoulders. Judging from the grin on her face, I assumed that Ginny was extremely happy with her purchase.

Practically skipping out of the store, Ginny was keen to help me shop. "I've been thinking, you could get him a little dragon? As a nice reminder from the tournament last year?"  
"Ginny, you're almost as awful as I am at presents."  
"That's not true, you just don't like my ideas."

We strolled down the cobbled streets window-shopping. "How about a chess set?" Ginny suggested. "Ron's is pretty old now."  
"That is a perfect idea! I wonder if they come in gold," I wondered curiously.  
With a smug smile, Ginny said "See, I can think of really good presents."  
"Maybe I'll get Harry some special owl treats for Hedwig and some quills," I continued, ignoring Ginny. She snorted.  
"The quills would be alright… if they were extra cool. The owl treats… not so much. It's Christmas, Hermione! Think of gifts, not practicality."

She was right, of course. Deciding to forget about Harry for a while, Ginny and I found a nice little shop selling games and ornaments; these distracted Ginny as most were shiny, colourful and expensive.

"Do you think Ron would like a levitating set?" I called out to Ginny, who replied in the negative. "Shape shifting?" Another no.  
"Just stick with the gold," Ginny said as she reappeared with her arms full of ornaments. "Do you like any of these?"

At first glance she was holding a jumble of stone but with a closer look I did manage to find some I liked. I picked out a Hogwarts ornament that had snow over the towers; it was also falling from the sky, although we were obviously inside. It reminded me of a snow-globe – if you shook it, the snow would fly everywhere. There was even a Whomping Willow on the grounds, which swayed in imaginary wind. The Quidditch pitch had each house's colours on the stands.  
I thought Harry would like that at the Dursley's; he would always be able to see his home.

Ginny was holding many other things in her arms like photo frames, statuettes of influential wizards, brooches and more. I picked up one of the brooches that had clear gems on it. In my hands, it transformed into a peacock feather. Putting it down, it returned to its original swirl. I decided my mother would like that.

When I paid for my items, the cashier told me the Hogwarts ornament changed seasons as the real Hogwarts did. This pleased me greatly and I thought it would be a nice surprise for Harry. Unfortunately, the brooch did not transform for muggles so it would remain in its swirl; I bought it anyway. The golden chess-set I found for Ron was wrapped for me in red paper.

Ginny and I said our thankyou's and left the store. "I need to go to Hogsmede," I told her. "But I don't want to go today."  
"Me neither. How about we go the day before Christmas?"  
I agreed readily and we chatted about our presents as we returned to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I think I'll just buy everyone some candy from Honeydukes," Ginny shrugged. "They always have Christmas specials."  
"That's a really good idea. I'll have to get some for my parents."

At the back of my mind I thought that I was forgetting someone but settled, knowing that I had until our Hogsmede trip to figure it out.

We stepped into the green flames and shouted "Hogwarts!" protecting our parcels from the ash.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: Christmas Spirit**

It was the day before Christmas and Harry was humming a Christmas tune as he walked down the stairs that morning. I smiled at him from my seat in front of the fire. "I didn't think you were one for Christmas," I said accusingly. A sheepish grin was sent my way.  
"What can I say, 'Mione? Hogwarts Christmases are pretty amazing."

And he was right. The twelve Christmas trees were set up in the Great Hall, snow was drifting down from the roof, sparkling lights were on the walls, and mistletoe was over the doorways. Hogwarts was beautiful at Christmas, even when you're alone – as Harry had told me once. But this year, the Weasley clan was staying and so was I… and I had no detention tonight or tomorrow.

Every single night the twins had tried to convince me to skive off detention and go on adventures with them. Each night, I declined, although I let them bewitch my tools to do whatever work I was doing upon their return. I was determined to at least do some labour – and they always returned to keep me company. So all in all, detention wasn't so bad.

McGonagall had relented after my continuous badgering and said I was allowed to resume my Healing training after the holidays. This was an added bonus and my mood lifted.

So Christmas was turning out to be a wonderful affair for me. Ginny and I were going to Hogsmede today for our last minute gifts – and I had remembered who I had forgotten.  
Fred and George.  
I had spent the last four days debating on whether or not to get the twins presents and only decided today that I would. That was what business partners did, right?

I wasn't sure. I'd never been a business partner before.

Regardless, I brought myself out of my thoughts when Ginny flounced down the stairs. I wasn't sure where Harry had gotten too, but I realised I didn't care. I was too busy trying to think of nice presents for Fred and George. What if they didn't like what I got them?

Ginny and I donned on our school cloaks as it was snowing heavily. "Let's make this trip a short one," Ginny suggested. I nodded. "Maybe the snow will let up," I said hopefully, but it didn't look likely.  
We soldiered on through the snow and eventually made it to Hogsmede. We passed Zonko's – I decided against going in there, for I knew that Fred and George scoured every inch of that shop every week and anything I get them from there, they would have already seen.

Ginny spied Honeydukes. "Come on, Hermione," she urged, tugging on my hand. I resisted.  
"You go on, I'll meet you in there," I promised. When Ginny looked unsure, I pointed to a small, welcoming shop roughly four stores down. _Henry's Herbology _was the name of the relatively new-looking store. "That's where I'm going," I informed her. Ginny shrugged and we separated.

Inside the store was very green. Plants were hanging from the ceiling, growing up the walls, and blooming over the windows. I was fairly sure a Venomous Tentacular plant was hiding in the corner.  
"Excuse me?" I called out into the shop. A voice called back from the upper level (which I had missed because of the amount of vines above my head), telling me to wait a minute.

I was eyeing the counter carefully when the owner arrived – I was fairly certain Devil's Snare was growing over it. The shop keeper was a stout man, much like Professor Sprout, with laugh lines on his face. He seemed very kind.  
"Welcome to Henry's Herbology, what can I help you with?" he greeted me. I smiled at him.  
"What gloves do you sell?" I asked politely.

When I saw the shop I immediately knew what to get Fred and George. After the acromantula venom incident, having a powerful and protective pair of gloves wouldn't kill them. I didn't care how expensive it was: I was buying them both a pair of Manticore gloves. I knew they were rare but I had such a good feeling from this shop.

"All kinds, my dear. They're upstairs, would you like me to accompany you?" A smile appeared on his face as he pointed to the staircase, which was also covered in so many plants I could barely see it. I nodded. "I wouldn't want to damage any of your plants."  
He laughed. "Nonsense! Follow me."

Up the stairs and immediately to the left were shelves upon shelves of gloves, half of which I didn't even know existed. I had no doubt that I would find what I was looking for.  
"Do you sell Manticore gloves?" I asked. Henry nodded enthusiastically.  
"If it's spell resistance you're looking for, we also sell griffin, chimaera, dragon-hide, centaur, troll, and basilisk gloves."  
"Where on earth did you manage to find all of these?" I exclaimed. Half of them had to be illegal.  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that! Trade secrets."

Shaking my head in wonder, I took two pairs of the manticore gloves. While the other options seemed phenomenal, I didn't want to take the chance of them being illegal or useless – what an awful Christmas gift that would be.

George was not kidding when he said in the hospital that the gloves were expensive. One pair was extreme; however, Henry was very kind and offered me a discount because I was buying two and because I recognised each plant on the counter (Devil's Snare was definitely growing there). He encouraged me to return, and although I had no intentions of doing so I promised myself I would refer the place to Neville.

My purse was absolutely nearly empty because of the gloves but I still had enough to buy Harry, my parents and Ginny some candy. I spotted the red-headed girl amidst those clad in beanies. She was staring at the Christmas range.  
"They've gone downhill this year," she commented when I appeared at her side. "It's a bit boring."  
"I think it's lovely," I disagreed.

I reached out for some humbugs – black and white little creatures that hummed in your stomach – and a large, red and white lollipop that spun around causing a hypnotic pattern. Grabbing some mint floss that dissolved in your teeth, that was my parents sorted.  
"What do you want for Christmas, Gin?" I asked. Ginny shrugged.  
"They have the chocolate sugar quills, that'll be fine," she said, pointing to the large _'Limited Edition!' _sign. I grabbed three for her. "I don't need that many!" she argued when she saw me, but I stubbornly kept them. "I don't care. You deserve these."  
Ginny smiled. "I saw something Harry might like – there are these miniature Santa's over in that corner." She pointed, and I followed her direction. The Santa's I saw were a bit tacky; their eyes rolled around and the tongue poked out, so I decided against them. Spying some Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans: Christmas Edition, I thought Harry would enjoy them much more. I also got him chocolate frogs to share with Ron, and Sour Gummy Worms that screamed insults at you and squirmed in your stomach.

With my arms weighed down with candy, I made it up to the counter and paid for it. Counting in my head I made sure I had everyone's gift. _There's the candy and brooch for my parents, Ginny's quills, Harry's candy and ornament, Ron's chess set and chocolate frogs, Fred and George's gloves. Everything is in order._

Ginny went after me with her variety of toffee and nougat chocolate, a box for each member of the family by the looks of it. We left the warmth of the store and made our way back to Hogwarts.  
"So what did you buy in the Herbology place?" Ginny asked curiously. "Buying a secret gift for Neville?"  
"They're just gloves," I said honestly. "And they're not for Neville."  
"Then who?"  
I shouldn't have said anything; Ginny would not leave me alone now until she got some answers. I didn't even know why I felt reluctant to tell her they were for the twins, I just did. Actually, now that I thought about it, I didn't even know if Ginny knew about WWW, let alone that I was a part of it now. Taking a leap of faith and praying that she wouldn't ask any more questions, I admitted that they were for Fred and George.

"And why are you buying not one, but three of my brothers Christmas presents?" Ginny demanded. I knew I had high hopes. "Because we're friends?" I offered lamely.  
Ginny looked at me suspiciously. "Is what Malfoy said true about you three… you know…"  
"What the hell Ginny, no it isn't! I can't believe you'd even ask that!"  
"Well what was I supposed to think, one minute you guys barely talk and the next you're buying them presents…" Ginny trailed off suggestively.  
"We're just business partners," I said firmly, closing the conversation.

But of course, that just opened up a new can of worms.

"You are the last person I would expect to be working with Fred and George."  
"I know, but I somehow got into it and… I don't know, really. It just happened."

Ginny spent the rest of the way back to Hogwarts badgering me with questions about Fred and George, what we'd been up to, how I was initiated, and so on. Needless to say I was exhausted when we finally arrived; Ginny was hounding questions at me and pounding out the answers.

When we were about to depart into the dormitories, I told her the gloves were Manticore skin. "They'll like your present just fine," Ginny said after a moment's hesitation.

She didn't bring up the twins for a very long time after that.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One: Christmas Day**

I woke up and jumped into the shower immediately. It was only six in the morning – all the better for me, I could have a long shower before Christmas began.

Christmas!

It was Christmas morning at last!

The sudden rush of excitement made me want to be quick in the shower and wake everyone up extra early, but I forced myself to remain calm and steady. I took extra care washing my hair, making sure that my shampoo and conditioner touched each curl. I even shaved my legs for the occasion.

Despite my attempts to prolong my shower, it was only six-forty when I finished dressing for the day. I didn't mind this so much; I made my bed and checked the wrapping on all of my gifts. _Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny. _I had sent my parents' presents by owl yesterday. I put each present into my beaded bag (I didn't want anyone to anticipate what their presents may be by the size of them). I liked surprising people, and I enjoyed the looks on their faces when they see the wrapped presents.

Time was going achingly slow but it was eventually seven; a socially acceptable time to wake up. I rushed into Ginny's dorm and shook her awake quietly, managing to do so without waking her dorm-mates. She jumped out of bed immediately despite not usually being a morning person, wrapped her dressing-gown around her pyjamas and went to wake Fred and George while I woke Harry and Ron.

Fred, George and Ginny were waiting impatiently in the common room when I (finally) came down the stairs with Harry and Ron in my wake. The two were still yawning and rubbing their eyes in an effort to wake up.

"Come on guys, it's Christmas!" I shouted happily. They groaned and slumped on the couches.  
"I left my presents in my room," Ron grumbled.  
"Me too," Harry agreed. They got up to retrieve them but I was far too impatient, so I summoned them. They gave me grateful looks.

When each of us had put on our traditional Weasley jumpers (Ginny and I received scarves) I began to feel like part of a family. I'd never had a big family and my fellow Gryffindors were about as close as I got. And as this was my first Christmas at Hogwarts, I was extra satisfied with the feeling of unity.

Fred and George exchanged gifts first – Fred gave George a nice new mirror ("To cure your vanity," he had said) which shouted insults at whatever and whoever was in the reflection ("Forge, this is the best present you have ever given me!"). George gave Fred a comb that styled your hair for you.

"I really don't think this is necessary, Gred," Fred told him uncertainly.  
"Nonsense!" George waved away Fred's comment. "Best present there is."  
"Did you even bother to look for a decent present?" Ginny wondered. George looked guilty.  
"Well, no," he admitted. "But that comb definitely caught my eye."  
Fred threw it at him. "Well you can have it then! Your hair is much longer than mine anyway."

Which was not true, for their hair was exactly the same length, but Fred seemed very keen to be rid of the comb. After George acting offended, the present swap continued.

Ginny gave the twins a special jinxing kit from Zonko's I was willing to bet they had already, but the twins loved their sister, and seemingly adored their present. Harry and Ron exchanged candy gifts from Honeydukes; Harry also gave everyone but me muggle candy. "It's not as nice as magical stuff," he said quietly, "But I'm sure you'll enjoy the novelty of it."

I received books from Harry and Ron which I'm certain they picked randomly off the shelves, but at least they were in the advanced section of the store. I gave them the candy I had chosen from Honeydukes, and they immediately ripped into the Chocolate Frogs and swapped cards. I handed over Harry's Hogwarts ornament, which he thought was very sweet of me, and Ron's chess set – "Blimey Hermione, this is brilliant!"

Ginny was thankful for the chocolate sugar quills and handed me a small package in return – I didn't know she had bought me anything. "Ginny, you shouldn't have," I began, but she shook her head.  
"I don't know if you will like it," she replied nervously.  
Protected with blue tissue paper, Ginny had bought me a beautiful hair piece. It slid into my hair and shone because of the glitzy diamantes, which were set into a thick silver band that kept the comb teeth together.  
"Ginny, it's gorgeous!" She grinned at me.  
"I'm so relieved, I bought it at that store we found…" and she rambled on. I lifted up my bag, ready to give the twins their presents, but they had disappeared. Unfazed, I decided I would give it to them later.  
"Let's get dressed and go down to breakfast," Harry suggested. With vigorous nods, particularly from Ron and Ginny, we all trampled upstairs. Ginny came into my room with her green dress.

"Thanks again for the comb, Gin," I said as I pulled back some hair and forced it in. To my immense surprise, it held all my hair without coming loose.  
Ginny's muffled voice came behind me. "It's charmed to stay there which I thought was pretty nice." She was struggling to get the dress over her head.

I went over to help her. "Just stay still. What's the dress for anyway, I thought you were saving it for an emergency?"

Ginny's face popped through the neck of the dress. She was blushing. "I… well, I… um…"  
"Spit it out, Ginny," I said in amusement. "It's only me."  
"Well, I intend on getting a date."  
I grinned. "And who do you intend on getting a date with?"  
"Maybe Dean Thomas? Please don't tell Ron."  
"Why would I tell him about a date you haven't even got yet?" I asked breezily. Ginny smiled and her blush disappeared. "You're old enough to date anyway. It's none of Ron's business what you do."

As she walked over to the mirror to play with her hair, Ginny said "That's exactly what I've been trying to convince myself all along!" She turned around with a sly grin. "I can get you a date too, if you like?"  
"What? Ginny, no! I am perfectly capable of getting myself a date!"

After a moment of deliberation, Ginny agreed. "I know you are. I just wonder if you'll have the bravery to actually get one."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Presents Abound**

At the Great Hall there were two tables set up. The teachers occupied one with the odd students from Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. We Gryffindors got our own table, seeing as there were too many students in total to fit on one table.

Bon-bons were pulled everywhere, which caused the twins to laugh with glee and Dumbledore to smile as he forced Professor McGonagall to pull one. A minor food fight – led by Ginny – almost broke out before McGonagall ordered us to behave ourselves. Fred and George were disappointed.  
"Where's your Christmas Spirit?" they shouted. "It's the holidays! Let's have some fun!"

To their intense pleasure, Dumbledore flicked a pea at McGonagall which they took as an indication to wage war on everyone. Ginny gave them a run for their money before they surrendered and offered to make a team. Harry, Ron and I half-heartedly joined in, mainly trying to eat the delicious treacle and pudding available before it was used as ammunition. However, when a Hufflepuff accidentally hit Ron in the back of the head with slices of pumpkin pie, he joined in with such vigour that Harry and I couldn't help but laugh.

Fred, George and Ginny were winning (I had a feeling the twins had bewitched some food to throw themselves and set up shields to protect them) when Dumbledore called for order.  
"Congratulations, Weasley's, for winning this year's food fight," he said serenely. "But I daresay we best stop before Professor McGonagall starts delivering detentions."

With a wave of his wand, everyone was free of food and their clothes were clean; we were dismissed and heading out of the Great Hall. I overheard Fred, George and Ginny planning another attack at lunch when a small bit of paper was pushed into my hand. When I looked around, there was no culprit to be found.

_Meet us at the Room of Requirement. Business meeting._

As the note burst into flames in my hands, I knew that Fred and George were obviously up to this. I looked up to find Ginny watching me curiously, but she asked no questions. Her attention turned back to Dean, who was walking by her side quietly. He looked happy.

Harry and Ron were talking about their presents ("We should play a game now, just to see how good the set is," Ron was saying). I thought I could easily sneak off without them noticing; it would be a hell of a lot easier than trying to find a good excuse.

"Hermione, we're going to go out to the Quidditch Pitch," Harry said suddenly. I realised I had tuned out of their conversation and Harry looked guilty. "Did you want to come? I mean, we could stay…"  
Ron didn't look too pleased at the idea of staying, though. No matter, much better for me. Harry was always good at covering for me, even when he didn't try.  
"No, no. You guys go out and have fun. I'd rather stay inside and read those books you got me," I said happily. They both grinned at me.  
"Don't read them all at once," Ron teased, and they walked away from me.

I never thought I'd be relieved to be without their presence, but recently that's all I've been feeling. I almost felt like I was lying to them about everything… first with my healing, now Fred and George… but I truly didn't believe it was any of their business.

So why did I feel so guilty?

I shrugged it off. Ginny knew and that was good enough. I made my way up to the Room of Requirement, clutching my beaded bag. I was getting more nervous the closer I got to the room! What if they didn't like my present? What if they didn't get me a present? What it inappropriate for me to get them presents? Should I have picked a different present?

I reached the blank wall before I had a chance to pull myself together. I didn't even know what to think, to get inside. No matter, the doors were appearing before my eyes and I walked in curiously. Fred and George must be waiting inside, giving me permission to enter the room.

But when I entered, it wasn't their storage room. It was much smaller and I could see into every corner. There wasn't anything in the way but Fred and George, who were standing side by side with their arms behind their backs. Grins were on their faces, as usual. I smiled back.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" They shouted, and threw their arms into the air. Confetti, glitter, fireworks, small birds, loud noises, bells, and fairies appeared in the air with gusto and flew about. The confetti and glitter landed in my hair, to my immense discomfort, but the twins laughed with joy.  
"What a pleasant surprise," I murmured. They gave me gallant bows.  
"With pleasant company," George said teasingly. With hands on my shoulders, Fred turned me around. "Close your eyes," he told me. I obeyed.

After a few moments, I was told to turn around again. But now my feet were in sand, and there was a breeze. I was looking out onto an endless body of water.  
"Do you like the beach, Hermione?" George asked. I pursed my lips and didn't answer.  
"Obviously not," Fred said, perhaps a bit disappointed. He covered my eyes with his hands. "London?"  
The bright lights of the city were surrounding me. I shook my head playfully.  
"Egypt?" George asked. "That's my favourite."  
I was looking at the pyramids of Giza. "How about Paris?" I asked them, and changed the room myself. We were looking through a window, out to the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

"The city of romance," Fred muttered. "How did we not think of that?"  
"Maybe we're daft," George muttered back. "Or she's strange."  
"We're definitely not daft."

With a laugh, I said "I can hear you two." Fred and George immediately gave me their utmost attention. Suddenly nervous, I asked "Is this a Christmas present?"  
"Do you not like it?" George asked immediately. Fred hit him on the arm.  
"Yes. No business meetings here. We just thought that you deserved a nice Christmas gift, after everything we've put you through this year and all," he explained with a twinkle in his eye.  
"I got you a present as well," I said shyly.  
"You shouldn't have," they said immediately. I nodded.  
"I know. You're going to really hate me." I pulled out their presents, neatly wrapped in shiny paper, and handed them over. I avoided eye contact and moved closer to the window, observing Paris in its glory.

When the prolonged silence didn't end, I turned around only to find Fred there standing alone. "You really shouldn't have," he said quietly as he tried on the gloves. They magically moulded to fit his hands. "Manticore gloves are expensive."  
"I know they are," I murmured, "But I can't have you almost dying again now can I?"  
"Don't you like my visits in the hospital wing?" Fred joked. I smiled.  
"Oh, you know that's not true. Of course I do."  
"Then what's the problem?"

I frowned. There was no problem, I just… well, I didn't know.

"Where'd George go?" I asked instead.  
"Away," Fred said, stretching his neck. "Thank you for the gloves, Healer Hermione."  
"You're welcome, just put them to good use."  
"I will."

Fred was looking at something above our heads but I didn't look up. His eyes were shining bright and his hair looked freshly washed. He also smelled very lovely – like mince pies and treacle and spearmint toothpaste. I breathed heavily and smiled when Fred looked down.  
"Mistletoe," he informed me. My eyes widened; did I ask the room for that? I couldn't remember. I didn't care. And when did he come so close? Fred had his hand on the side of my neck, holding me steady. He leaned down painfully slowly, judging my reactions. I wasn't sure what he got though – my heart was beating painfully and breathing was difficult. Whatever he saw must have been positive, however, as he hovered away from my lips, obviously wanting me to close the distance as consent.

Refusing to feel like an inexperienced schoolgirl, I leaned forward eagerly and touched his lips with mine. My hands automatically went to his hair (that's what all the girls in books did, right?) and it was like silk between my fingers. Fred wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up a little, bringing me to my tiptoes. I was in heaven with his body pressed against mine and his arms around me. When they loosened, I took one hand away from his head and lightly pushed on his elbow, inching his arm tighter around me. I could feel his muscles, grown and developed from years of being a Beater, ripple when he did so. He smiled a bit when I had to pull away, gasping for breath. I looked down with a blush rising to my cheeks.

"I just had to do that," he whispered. "I know that you're Ron's and-"  
I looked up immediately. "I'm not Ron's, not at all," I interrupted, outraged. "No one has a claim on me."  
Fred smiled sadly at me. "Ron has had a claim on you since the end of your third year."  
"Well I haven't got a claim on him," I said fiercely. "I can do whatever I like."

Fred stroked an invisible strand of hair away from my face. "Easy tiger," he grinned. Fred pulled me into a tight hug which I relaxed into. "Merry Christmas, Hermione."  
"Merry Christmas, Fred. Thank you for the wonderful present."  
"What present?" he asked stupidly. With a giggle, I stood up on my toes and decided to show him instead.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Aftermath**

After I had long since lost track of time, I returned to the common room only to find Ginny waiting for me. Her hair was glowing in the firelight, her dress shining bright.  
"Did he kiss you?" she demanded.  
"Who?"  
"Fred."  
"No."  
"Liar. You look like you've received a thorough snogging." I smirked and attempted to tame my hair. "It was amazing, Ginny."

She looked so amused. "I bet it was." After a moment of silence, she asked "So was snogging all you got up to? I mean, you were gone for over an hour."  
"Ginny! Yes, it was!"  
"Alright, alright, I was just asking. No one likes to hear their best friend lost her virginity in a broom closet."  
This conversation was getting far too strange for my liking. "We were in the Room of Requirement, so I was perfectly dignified, thank you very much!"

Ginny let me sit in my own thoughts for a while. I couldn't stop thinking about Fred. Did that count as a first date? I mean, we saw places… Wait, date!  
"So did you score a date with Dean?" I asked teasingly. When Ginny blushed a little, I began to applaud her. "Oh congratulations, Ginevra."

She threw a pillow at me. "Shut up, Hermione. I told you this dress was amazing."  
"I don't think it was the dress, Gin." Upon her look of confusion, I explained. "You're beautiful, Ginny. Smart, witty, funny. What's not to like? The dress wasn't the cause for your date – it was the deal sealer."  
"Oh, shut up."  
I laughed at her. "So tell me all the details. When are you going?"

Ginny launched into a minute-by-minute play of her morning that I was genuinely interested in. Her retell included details of what she was thinking and feeling at that moment. I tuned out at one stage, thinking of how Ginny would make a good narrator, before switching back on. She was going on about how they had plans to go to The Three Broomsticks next Hogsmede weekend.  
"I'm so happy for you, Ginny," I told her once she'd finished. And I was. It was nice to see her so confident; she had a plan and knew what she was doing. I envied that.

"So what's going on with you and Fred?" Ginny asked hesitantly. I wondered if Ginny had said something that I did not answer which alerted her to my distracted state of mind. "I don't know," I replied honestly. I looked around the common room for eavesdroppers; Harry and Ron were nowhere to be found and the twins were out somewhere. Dean and the other Gryffindors who stayed behind were absent as well. It was only Ginny and I, but I still moved closer to her to speak in a lower voice.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked rhetorically. "I mean, do you want to know what he said to me, Ginny?" She nodded and I gave a bark of sarcastic laughter. "He said, _I know you're Ron's. _What does that even mean?"  
"Well, are you Ron's?" Ginny demanded. I shook my head.  
"Of course not, and I told him that. But he reinforced it and then dropped the subject. Does that mean that it was a one-time thing? That he thinks because of Ron, he can't do anything?" Ginny was silent while I threw questions at her. "What if he doesn't want to do anything? What if I'm reading far too much into this and letting my emotions get in the way of my thinking?"

Ginny interrupted me here. "Okay, two things. I know my brothers better than anyone in the world. Fred, George and I are close – just for the record, Fred is a package deal with George – anyway, I know that Fred doesn't do drastic things without hope, or an ulterior motive, which is practically the same thing with him. So relax a bit about that. He's got something planned.  
"Secondly, you said that you're emotions are getting in the way. Is that you admitting that you feel something for Fred?"

Ginny appraised me carefully while I sighed. "I think I've felt something for Fred for a very long time," I admitted. To her or to myself, I wasn't sure.  
"Try not to overthink this, Hermione," Ginny said uselessly. "You might ruin something beautiful. Besides, even if he doesn't continue on with anything, you shared a wonderful snog, have great chemistry, and will remain amazing business partners. That's as good as it gets, 'Mione. Seriously." With a last, reassuring smile, Ginny ended the conversation.

I decided to retrieve one of the books I got for Christmas to help get my mind off of things. I suppose that deep down I wouldn't be reading, but it was nice to pretend. I picked Harry's book – which he must have given some thought about seeing as it was a muggle book – and traipsed downstairs again with it in my hands. Just as I had settled down to read it, Harry and Ron tumbled through the portrait hole covered in snow. I was pleased for their company.

"Hermione!" they called out. I waved to them with a small smile. They headed in my direction.  
"Have you read the book I got you?" Ron asked curiously. I was going to shake my head, honestly, but at the last second I said "Yes, Ronald, I just finished it actually. It was lovely and thoughtful. Thank you."

The grin on his face made me happy and he asked no further questions, which increased my happiness.

"So where have you two been?" I asked appropriately. Ron told me that they'd been on the Quidditch Pitch (how could I have forgotten?) and that Harry let him ride on the Firebolt. They then turned to each other to discuss the new brooms coming out soon and whether Ron could get one for his birthday.

I was about to suggest it be a group present from all of us when Fred and George appeared out of nowhere. I didn't hear the portrait open. Regardless, there they were, and then they were going past. Fred looked back and winked at me discreetly before the two disappeared into the dormitories. Relieved that Fred wasn't going to ignore me completely, I eased into Harry and Ron's conversation. Ron seemed to like the idea of a group gift.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Back To School**

The holidays continued without incident. I was at ease knowing that Fred didn't have any intentions of ignoring me – in fact, I spent quite a bit of time with the twins in the Room of Requirement, helping them avoid failure and explosions in their potions. Surprisingly, it was not awkward at all and George didn't ask any questions or make any suggestive remarks. The twins were very focused on their work and didn't mess around nearly as much. Most of their playfulness was expressed verbally.

Detentions were a breeze. I decided that I no longer needed to perform manual labour for practising defence. While Fred and George cheered this, I was careful to avoid Harry and Ron during my free time. I knew that they would ask questions and wonder what was going on with me if I skipped detention. Ginny was my companion in the Library.

Only once did I sneak out with the twins. The twins didn't force me to leave the school grounds, as they knew I was entirely against that. So they improvised. We went down a secret passage – well, I thought we were going down – and ended up at the Astronomy tower. Entirely out of bounds to students except for classes, I could remember the last time I was up here.

"I remember setting Hagrid's dragon, Norbet, free up here," I had told the twins. "I did get caught, unfortunately." They forced the entire story out of me which had them shaking their heads at me.  
"I remember that. Charlie had written to us, asking us to look out for Ron," George said solemnly.  
"Didn't want Ron being seen with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble," Fred agreed, nodding his head. I had laughed and told them they were idiots.

Now, that was a distant memory. School was back on with the professors reminding us that OWLs were this year, which of course I already knew. My Healing training was resumed, to my utmost pleasure, and Fred remained out of the hospital for weeks at a time. However, I was always called out of class when he was suffering ill effects, which at first Fred found amusing before he realised how stressed I was.

"You know, exams are in twenty weeks," I called out to the hospital when I was once again pulled out of class.  
"Plenty of time to study," Fred said vaguely, then a huge coughing fit seized him. My heart wrenched when I heard. Hurrying over to look at his patient information sheet, I discovered that Fred was dark purple. It suited his red hair strangely.

"What on earth happened to you?" I asked unprofessionally. Fred grinned.  
"Our skin colour changing potion just didn't want to change colour," he said. I shook my head.  
"Let's make a new rule," I suggested. "No testing potions unless I'm there, and no making them either."

Fred looked shocked. "What an awful idea, Healer Hermione. Time is money and do you know how much time we would lose if we waited for you all the time?"  
"It was a joke, Fred. Lighten up."  
"Was that a pun? Because that was actually pretty good."  
I grinned at him. "Thank you. Now why are you coughing?"

He was clearing his throat as I spoke. "Well, that I don't actually know," Fred admitted. And so I had to go through the long, painful, routine questions that Fred was deliberately unhelpful with.

"What's your name?"  
"Forge? Maybe? I'm not sure."  
"What's the day?"  
"Friday, hurray!"  
"It's Monday."  
"Don't kill my dreams."  
"What ingredients were you working with?"  
"Lots! I lost track."  
"Were you using any…"

At that moment, Fred had an extra-large coughing fit that had him coiled over. I grabbed a bucket, thinking that a fit this big should produce some bile at least, but Fred moved it away. He was coughing into his hands. I could only watch helplessly.

Suddenly, Fred stopped coughing and gave a tiny burp. He looked into his hands. "Well that's strange," he muttered.  
I looked into his cupped hands. A tiny, real frog was sitting there like it hadn't just made its way up Fred's throat.  
Stupidly, I said the first thing that came to mind. "Got a frog in your throat."  
Fred laughed. "That can be the product's catchphrase!"

I couldn't help but laugh as well. "So you were making a colour change potion?" I asked. When Fred nodded, I demanded "Did you add frog legs to your potion?" Fred nodded again with a grin.  
"What a turn of events! I wonder if we can cough up different creatures…"  
With a shake of my head, I told him "Don't try insects. It will actually kill you."  
Fred gulped. "I'll keep that in mind."  
"Maybe you should leave this potion alone for a couple days," I suggested. "I can help with this one. Besides, it needs to brew in order for the changes to occur properly."

Fred was still studying the frog intensely. I don't think he heard anything I just said. I could probably say anything I wanted right now, and he wouldn't even notice. I decided to test.  
"That frog is edible."  
"You're turning green."  
"You were my first kiss."  
"I was lying, Viktor Krum was."  
"I'm a virgin, though."  
"You could change that."  
"Madam Pince and Filch have a secret romance going on."  
"I bet she leads him into the Restricted Section every night."  
"Oh, that's gross. After that thought, Fred, I think we should remain friends."  
"You are so not listening to me, are you?"

"No, I am," Fred mumbled, stroking the frog now. "I just wanted to see how far you would go to get my attention."  
"I was about three lines away from slapping you," I told him kindly. He snorted and I started to walk away.  
"I don't like the idea of remaining friends," he said suddenly. I paused.  
"Well what do you want to be then?" I asked. My heart was pounding as he deliberated.

_"Best _friends."

I couldn't help but laugh. "So I never get to kiss you again?"  
"Of course you can. I still owe you a favour. Besides, what are friends for?"

I smiled and walked away, calling out "You can leave whenever you like, Fred. Take the frog with you."  
"But what about my skin?"  
"Really take a look at yourself, Fred."  
"Oh."

Fred went back to his normal colouring the moment the frog exited his mouth.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Last Goodbye**

Three weeks before exams. I was frantic. Fred had so kindly kept out of hospital for me and in return I helped with their products. I fixed their colour-changing potion and created another specifically for coughing up animals. I even helped with their clothing line. In the end, the twins decided I was better at potion making than product making.  
"You're a genius, Hermione," Fred had said.  
"But not inventive genius," George had finished.

I was not offended by that at all. I knew it to be true.

Fred, George and I had grown closer over the weeks we'd spent together. The lack of detentions was a huge relief (despite the twins never actually going) and I had come clean about my Healing training to Harry and Ron.

_"You mean, every time you've been pulled out of class, you've been healing my brother?" Ron had summed up. I shrugged. "Not always. I mean, I was training for a long time. Fred only became my patient because Madam Pomfrey was sick of him."  
"You've been lying to us this whole year?" Harry asked. He looked a bit hurt.  
"No," I said firmly. "Sometimes I truly did go to the Library or get pulled out of class for essays and whatnot."  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry asked.  
"Yeah, are we not good enough for you now?" Ron demanded. He was overly offended.  
"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how you'd react," I snapped. "And I'm beginning to regret telling you now because of that."_

So I had come clean, but it resulted in a fight with Ron that lasted a week. I wasn't fazed; I had Fred and George to keep me company.

I had kept Ginny up to date with my life too, though she was becoming increasingly uninterested in it. Things had fallen through with Dean and Ginny was looking at Harry again. I wondered if Harry was looking at her. I hoped he was.

All good things must come to an end at some stage, though. And my life was really good at the moment. I was surprised to say the least to be pulled away from breakfast by Professor McGonagall. "Absolute emergency!" she shrieked. "Hurry up, Miss Granger. Not a second to waste!"

Impatient to reach the hospital wing, we ran along the halls until we saw the doors. We slowed to a more dignified speed. I threw open the doors to see Madam Pomfrey and George beside Fred's bed. George looked at me sadly.  
"Privacy, please!" I demanded and the two older women left us. I glared at George. "What happened?" I hissed. "The day hasn't even begun!"  
"I don't know," George cried. "He wouldn't wake up this morning, and then he started convulsing and talking…"

I was writing this down. "Were you testing?"  
"He shouldn't have been. It was my turn to test." George almost looked angry before calming himself. "We've noticed that you only get called out of class when Fred goes into hospital, so I've been taking over a lot to keep you in class."

That was quite sweet of them. I didn't know they had done that, but it does explain a lot.

"So what was next on your testing agenda?" I asked. George slowly shook his head.  
"That's the thing, Healer Hermione," he said slowly. "There isn't anything."

I growled.

"Alright, fine. How often do the convulsions happen?"  
George counted on his fingers. "Well I only noticed at about six… and now it's eight… so every hour."  
"Well we'll just have to wait until nine so I can see the convulsions for myself."  
George looked very upset. "He drank something last night," he said suddenly. "I just remembered. He wouldn't tell me what it was and was asleep before I could force it out of him. It was early, too, only about nine pm."  
"How much did he drink?"  
"About a vial. It was blue."

"It seems strange, don't you think, that Fred takes a mysterious substance before he randomly falls asleep, and now suddenly can't wake up?" I stared at George waiting for him to catch on.  
"Are you suggesting a sleeping potion?" I nodded. When George slumped on Fred's bed I retrieved an antidote for sleeping potions, which I then let trickle down Fred's throat.

George looked utterly depressed when nothing happened. "If nothing happens after ten, we'll have to take him to St Mungo's," I told him. This did nothing to soothe George.

Professor McGonagall had come out requesting I go to class. I had almost agreed, too, but George gripped my arm tightly. I took that as a sign to stay. So I replied with, "I'd like to stay, if you don't mind, Professor. Fred is my patient and he is still under my care."  
With pursed lips she finally nodded and left the hospital wing. "Thanks," George whispered. "Fred will want to see you when he wakes up."  
"I'm sure you'll be first in line," I teased. George smiled.  
"Yeah I guess I will be."

We sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Then, out of nowhere, the clock stroke nine and Fred leapt awake. "Just like clockwork," I murmured to myself. George had never been so happy. "Merlin, Fred. You scared the hell outta me. What on earth were you bloody well doing?"  
Fred looked groggy so I gently pulled George back. "A bit of space, George. There could still be something wrong. Consciousness is not a sign of safety."

Fred looked uncertain. "Am I awake?" he asked. I nodded and pushed him back down onto his pillows. "You'll be fine," I cooed. "What's your name?"  
"Forge."  
Fred's playfulness was a sure sign of normality. I smiled at George. "See? He'll be fine." I scribbled on my notes and left the hospital wing.

_The End._


End file.
